Five talking points from Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Burnley
Newcastle secure third win in a row in the Premier League
Eddie Howe frustrated by ‘unnecessary’ decision by Newcastle striker
Newcastle United v Southampton: eight changes confirmed ahead of the clash
Two Newcastle United players have been ruled out with injury ahead of Saturday’s clash with Southampton as the Magpies look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.
The Magpies won 1-0 in midweek at home to Manchester City, with manager Eddie Howe making eight changes to the starting line-up. Of those eight changes, only Nick Pope (who made his return from a knee injury) and two new signings, Jamiel Lascelles (who replaced the injured Aleksandar Mitrovic) and Aleksandr Mitrovic, were retained.
Pope’s status as a first-choice keeper was never in doubt, but with defender Sven Botman out injured and Callum Wilson sidelined, Lascelles was handed his first start of the season alongside Isak. It was also the first time Lascelles had led Newcastle to a Premier League game since February 2022.
Both Wilson (hamstring) and Botman (knee) were ruled out of the Burnley game after failing a late fitness test but both made the trip to St James’ Park.
The Dutch defender is expected to be out until the end of the international break, while Howe hopes to have Wilson back in the fold in time for next Sunday’s visit of West Ham (2pm, kick-off).
There is one player who will not be available for the visit of West Ham and that is Anthony Gordon.
The in-form winger was booked for the fifth time in just seven Premier League games this season after kicking the ball away following a free-kick awarded by referee Thomas Bramall in the first half.
Gordon is the only player in the league to have accumulated more bookings than him in the entire season.
Howe described Gordon’s latest booking as ‘unnecessary’ and ‘a killer blow’ ahead of the visit of the London Stadium.
Luckily for The Magpies, Gordon will be available for the Champions League clash against PSG on Wednesday (8.30am kick-off), but after that he will be without a Premier League game for almost three weeks as the club heads into the international break.
While Gordon has been one of the best players in the league this season, the accumulation of yellow cards is something he will need to avoid as the Magpies squad is already depleted due to injury.
Last October and December, Miguel Almiron shocked many Newcastle supporters when he scored eight goals in his first nine Premier League games. For a player who had only scored once the previous season, this was an extraordinary run of form.
However, many believed it was a one-off for the Paraguayan, and for the majority of the season. He would score just twice in the final 23 games of 2022-23 and has since struggled to recapture the form that won him the Premier League player of the month award in October 2022.
But after his goal against Sheffield United last week, he made it two goals in a row with the kind of finish that summed up his impressive run of form a little over a year ago.
With the ball well won back in Burnley’s half, Trippier released Almiron, who cut inside on his left foot before curling a shot into the top-left corner from just outside the box to put Newcastle ahead.
In a team where players such as Trippier are shining again, as well as Bruno Gualaraes and new signing Sean Longstaff, it’s no surprise that Almiron is showing his worth by getting back to the level he was at last season.
In addition to Wilson’s and Botman’s injuries, and Gordon’s suspension, Newcastle also suffered a new blow when Joelinton was taken off four minutes into the second half. The Brazilian had just come off the bench against Manchester City, and was a second-half substitute against Burnley, but was taken out with a hamstring injury.
It’s not yet known how long the Magpies will be without Joelinton, but Howe has described it as a ‘potentially huge loss’ as the club continue to face a hectic run of fixtures.
“It appears to be a hamstring injury, which would be a massive loss because we don’t want to miss him, but we’ll have to wait and see,” Howe said.
The injury also leaves Newcastle without a central midfielder and a left-sided player on the left. Howe will have to look to either Elliot Anderson on the left or Jacob Murphy at West Ham, while Wilson’s return from injury could see leading scorer Isak move out wide.
On Saturday, the Magpies continued their winning ways from the penalty spot, with Isak scoring from 12 yards after Gordon was penalised by Ameen Al Dakhil.
After squandering an early chance to score, the Swede scored in his third game in a row, with a second-half penalty stroke taking his season total to five goals.
Newcastle have now scored 12 penalties in a row in the Premier League since Joe Willock missed a penalty against Manchester City back in May 2021, although the midfielder scored from the rebound. Since then Fabian Schar (twice), Chris Wood (five), Wilson (five) and Isak (three) have all scored from the spot for the Magpies in the league.
Isak’s goal completed another dominant performance for United as they continue their fine run of form ahead of their first Champions League home game in 20 years against Qarabag.
Howe’s side have gone four games and one draw without a loss in their last five games in all competitions.
Although Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Burnley was marred by the loss of Joelinton to a knee injury, the Magpies have rediscovered the confidence and goal-scoring form that helped them reach the Champions League fourth round last season.
