Trippier decision, Tonali dilemma and ongoing battle as Howe answers three Newcastle questions
Club football returns this weekend and Eddie Howe has a few welcomed selection decisions to make as Newcastle United head to Molineux on Sunday. Wolverhampton has proved a tricky hunting ground for the Magpies in recent seasons but the north east outfit have a wealth of options at their disposal for the trip to the Midlands.
A good chunk of Howe’s team picks itself at present, with Nick Pope in between the sticks, Fabian Schar expected to return in place of Emil Krafth, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton poised to start again, with a new-look front three of Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes expected to once again lead the line.
However, there’s contention over six players and three positions ahead of the visit to Wolves. With that in mind, we asked our Chronicle Live team to give us their verdict on whether it should be Tino Livramento or Kieran Trippier, Lewis Hall or Lloyd Kelly and Sandro Tonali or Sean Longstaff in Howe’s starting XI this weekend.
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Lee Ryder
I think the time is right to bring Kieran Trippier back in the team ahead of what should be deemed a tricky away day at Wolves. In the last away game at AFC Bournemouth, Howe turned to Trippier the moment things started to go pear shaped and Tino Livramento was sacrificed.
That doesn’t mean that Livramento should be benched, after all he had a very good game in the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur but Howe knows he can mould the full-back pairing in a few different ways.
Trippier can play left-back and so can Tino but ultimately having the retired England defender on the field is key in my opinion. His leadership skills and ability from set-plays could be the all important factors of a tough day. I’d go with Trippier and Tino as full-backs with Lewis Hall and Lloyd Kelly benched.
As for the midfield options, this is genuinely a tough one. Sean Longstaff has not done anything wrong to lose his place. Given Tonali’s demanding international fortnight with two 90 minutes stints completed, it points to a place on the bench for the Italian. But Longstaff will have to find his A-game to guarantee he stays in the team.
