Blinksportsnews247With Newcastle United’s trip to Nottingham Forest drawing near, there is still disagreement over who should start at left defense.
There are Magpies supporters who hope Tino Livramento is called back to the team this weekend at the City Ground, but it wouldn’t come as a huge shock if that group doesn’t get their way.
In actuality, Dan Burn is still Eddie Howe’s first pick on the left side of Newcastle’s defense. Although the St. James’ Park manager has been criticized for being “too loyal” to some players recently, Burn has always been supported by the supporters and is unlikely to be bumped from the starting lineup by popular opinion.
“Since he joined the football team, Dan has been truly exceptional,” Howe stated following Saturday’s 4–4 draw against Luton Town. “He was a major contributor to both our outstanding defensive record and our fantastic season last year. I thought he was outstanding against Aston Villa four days ago.”
Burn did, in fact, have a strong outing at Villa Park last week, coming only days after winning the FA Cup against Fulham as Man of the Match. He was then chosen to face set-piece specialists Luton because of his commanding presence and the fact that Howe dislikes to deviate from his typical back four of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, and Burn.
But there is a small lack of pace to the big man’s game. The way Luton has been playing recently, it is evident that opposition teams frequently use a quick right-sided attacker to target Newcastle’s left. Chiedozie Ogbene, the right winger for the Hatters, had an incredible day down that flank on Saturday. After being hauled down by Burn, he was awarded the penalty kick for his team’s third goal.
When Livramento entered the game with Newcastle trailing 4–2, he strengthened the home team’s defense and helped mount a successful comeback. He can play a variety of roles on either wing and at either end of the pitch because to his rapid pace.
But with players like Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes back in the mix for Newcastle and more attacking alternatives available to Howe, there’s less reason to keep Livramento off the field as a backup forward.
Howe has a major decision to make in the next few days with Forest this coming weekend. Does he start Tino at left back again right away?
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