The Newcastle United player who did not seize his opportunity against Bradford as Eddie Howe rotated team again
For the past couple of years, under Eddie Howe, the Newcastle United starting XI has pretty much picked itself due to a lack of squad depth.
The only time we'd really get any variation in the lineup is if a player were carrying an injury, forcing Howe into a change.
However, that's all changed, and in the last three fixtures, Howe has played three very different-looking starting lineups, making seven changes between each game.
Last night, the Magpies dismantled Bradford 4-1 in the Carabao Cup after Howe put out a fairly strong side, but he also handed opportunities to a couple of 'fringe' players such as Will Osula, Lewis Miley and Emil Krafth.
Emil Krafth had a quiet night against Bradford it seems
While Miley and Osula could sleep soundly last night knowing they'd put in a good shift each, it was probably a sleepless night for Emil Krafth whose stats on Sofascore show that the Swede didn't have the best of nights up against League One opposition.
Minutes played: 61'
Clearances: 1
Blocked shots: 0
Interceptions: 0
Total tackles: 0
Dribbled past: 0
Errors leading to shot:1
Ground duels (won): 3 (0)
Aerial duels (won): 0 (0)
Possession lost: 9
Hardly stellar numbers for a defender.
Emil Krafth won't have done much to shift the pecking order around at Newcastle
To give Krafth the benefit of the doubt, Bradford were rarely in attacking positions, particularly down Krafth's flank, but just looking at the raw numbers, it's hard to see how he managed to shift the needle when it comes to ousting Tino Livramento or Kieran Trippier from their spot ahead of him in the pecking order.
Obviously, this is just one game, and we know that Krafth can be very reliable when called upon.
We don't see him troubling the established order for a while, though.
