Eddie Howe restored the Notorious B.I.G. on Sunday as Newcastle went in search of goals at Bournemouth.
The front three of Harvey Barnes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon has been deployed on a few occasion by Eddie Howe and it has always looked like a devastating combination.
We love Anthony Gordon on the left, and after his performances last season the idea of switching him to the right and it not working out does seem like a risk that may not be worth taking.
However, Gordon on the right and Barnes on the left is better than Gordon on the left and Miguel Almiron on Jacob Murphy on the right, surely,
After seeing the attacking trio in action again on Sunday, and producing a goal as Barnes' cross was met by Gordon for the equaliser, we find it odd that Howe still seems unsure about the trio starting together.
Craig Hope spoke about it in his post-match video on YouTube. The idea of starting the three together seems like a no-brainer, but when Howe was asked about it he almost brushed it aside as if it was a stupid suggestion with The Shields Gazette running the quotes this afternoon.
“I think the balance has to be right. Of course, you want the players that enter the pitch to be comfortable to give their best performances, and it’s my job to give them that environment.
“Of course, we’ll assess everything and try and make the right decisions for the team but there’s no doubting either player’s qualities. You could see Harvey’s impact [at Bournemouth], his crossing ability and directness - we needed it at that time in the game.”
Hopefully, it was just Eddie playing 4D chess knowing that if he appeared too keen to play the trio regularly, it would give the board the impression that we don't need to sign another winger, and let's be honest, that's far from the case.
We need another quality winger for the right side of the attack even if we do move Gordon to the right as Gordon would still be the go-to for the left if Barnes were to pick up an injury.
If we're being truthful though, any kind of signing right now would feel like a bonus.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
19 | 28 | 46 |
2 |
Arsenal
|
20 | 21 | 40 |
3 |
Nottingham Forest
|
20 | 10 | 40 |
4 |
Chelsea
|
20 | 15 | 36 |
5 |
Newcastle United
|
20 | 12 | 35 |
6 |
Manchester City
|
20 | 9 | 34 |
7 |
Bournemouth
|
20 | 7 | 33 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
20 | -2 | 32 |
9 |
Fulham
|
20 | 3 | 30 |
10 |
Brighton
|
20 | 1 | 28 |
11 |
Brentford
|
20 | 3 | 27 |
12 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
20 | 12 | 24 |
13 |
Manchester United
|
20 | -5 | 23 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
20 | -15 | 23 |
15 |
Crystal Palace
|
20 | -7 | 21 |
16 |
Everton
|
19 | -10 | 17 |
17 |
Wolves
|
20 | -14 | 16 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
20 | -15 | 16 |
19 |
Leicester
|
20 | -21 | 14 |
20 |
Southampton
|
20 | -32 | 6 |