Sport
Newcastle United must use Barcelona game to show they’re still heading in the right direction
Not so long ago, St James’ Park was considered one of the toughest venues to visit anywhere in English football. Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United were a force of nature in front of their own supporters and made a habit of out-playing and out-fighting opponents of the highest quality and calibre.
More recently, though, St James’ Park has been a happy hunting ground for away teams. Indeed, Newcastle have lost five of their last eight home matches in all competitions with the latest loss coming against Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday. The Magpies have become a soft touch on their own patch.
Howe must find a way to lift his players from the defeat to City with Barcelona on Tyneside this week otherwise Newcastle will face a difficult evening. The Magpies must use this Champions League last 16 tie to prove they are still heading in the right direction under their current manager.
“It’s easy to be negative at the moment,” said Howe, looking ahead to the visit of Barca. “I understand we’ve gone out of the FA Cup but we have the biggest game in the club’s history coming up and we’ve got to approach it that way. We’ve never been in this position in the Champions League before and it’s the best competition there is. We have got to get the players ready for that and we’ve no time to dwell on this.”
Newcastle are facing a critical juncture with Howe at the helm. The St James’ Park outfit are struggling for domestic form, sitting 12th in the Premier League table and out of both cup competitions. Newcastle have reserved their best form for the Champions League, but questions remain.
At their best, Newcastle run through and over the top of opponents. Their midfield three of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali can dominate matches through their physicality with the likes of Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes lightning quick in transition in the attacking third.
Tactically, though, Newcastle have been exposed as one-dimensional in too many matches this season. When opponents are able to match the Magpies for physicality and intensity, Howe is unable to set up his team to create in possession. There is a growing sense that Newcastle have been figured out.
The Champions League last 16 tie against Barcelona could be a catalyst. Newcastle have already faced the Catalans at St James’ Park this season, narrowly losing 2-1 thanks to a Marcus Rashford brace. While the North East outfit gave a good account of themselves, they still ended up losing.
To get the better of Barcelona this time, Newcastle must disrupt the visitors in the centre of the pitch. The Magpies must get close to Pedri, Lamine Yamal and the other Barca superstars capable of producing a game-changing moment at any time. They can’t allow the Spanish champions to impose themselves.
On the attacking side, Howe has a big decision to make on his forward line. The Newcastle manager has chopped and changed between Gordon, Barnes, Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, denying his team the chance to build any sort of consistency as an attacking outfit. Would Gordon as a number nine make sense to expose the space behind Barca’s high line?
If Barcelona play to their full potential, they will have no trouble in brushing aside Newcastle on Tuesday night, and in the Champions League last 16 tie in general. If the Catalans are in any way lethargic, though, as they were against Athletic Club on Saturday, Newcastle must be in a position to take advantage. This is an opportunity to make a statement.
