Eddie Howe has named two players Newcastle United missed in their 4-0 hammering at Manchester City on Saturday.
Newcastle’s run of 25 years without a Premier League win away at Man City continued as Omar Marmoush’s first-half hat-trick put the game out of reach before the interval in a disappointing performance described as a “shambles” by Bruno Guimaraes.
Lewis Miley came on during the interval and his mature performance was singled out for praise by Howe, and the manager has now confessed the two key men who may have made a difference on the weekend.
Joelinton and Sven Botman’s presence was missed as Newcastle failed to get out of first gear in a shoddy display against the Premier League holders that hopefully serves as a wake-up call for the Magpies.
Joe Willock failed to impress as he came into the midfield for the Brazilian before being hooked at half-time for Miley, while Botman’s physicality was missed at the back as Schar and Burn struggled.
A forced tactical decision with no Joelinton saw Botman join a back five against Arsenal, while Burn played alongside Emil Krafth against Birmingham City before being substituted for Schar.
“We’ve had a really good winning mentality to our performances,” said Howe after the Man City game. “Even when we didn’t play well. That was only very recently.
“Confidence is a key thing and availability of key players is a key thing – we missed Joelinton’s duel-winning ability and Sven Botman’s physical presence. All these things matter. “
The same back four that drew 1-1 with City in September was again on display on Saturday, with Schar and Burn supported by Kieran Trippier and Lewis Hall – which may have factored into the decision to leave out Tino Livramento.
What was described as a “very lazy” performance against Pep Guardiola’s side by Newcastle club captain Bruno Guimaraes wasn’t helped by Joelinton’s absence, as he often sets the tone in terms of our intensity.
The combative midfielder is set to be sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury but, crucially in what will be a high tempo game, he should be back for the Carabao Cup final on March 16 – and two Mags are set to return against Nottingham Forest this coming weekend.
Both Botman and Harvey Barnes are expected to be available for selection against Nottingham Forest, with the latter already back as an unused substitute at the Etihad. The knee injury Botman suffered is not the one he underwent ACL surgery on last year, and it’s good news ahead of a huge Premier League tie.
“There has been good news on the scan for Sven after his injury and it is not long-term,” said Howe. “We hope by (the Carabao Cup final that Joelinton) will be back fit and available. He is making good progress.”