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This isn’t a new concern, but Newcastle desperately need to spend some money. A backline of Lloyd Kelly, Dan Burn, Emil Krafth and Tino Livramento, while all fine players individually, is not a remotely resilient or functional enough defensive unit to match the club’s ambitions. This can’t be a situation the club end up in again.
While a return to the Champions League feels far-fetched at this stage, Newcastle have to be wary of slipping the other way. Their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth was an even game between two sides of similar quality, one the home side should have won in injury time were it not for a dubious VAR handball call.
Without the right signings over the next week, Eddie Howe could just as easily find himself in a battle for mid-table mediocrity as for Europe come the end of the season. Chelsea’s runaway victory at Molineux, Spurs’ dominance against Everton and Brighton’s early form under Fabian Hurzeler suggest Newcastle’s competitors are some way ahead of them at this stage.
When asked about potential incomings, Howe said: “We’re not in control of it. We’ve made it clear we’d like to add to group. But they have to be the right players at the right price for short and long-term benefit of club.”
Now, Sandro Tonali will be back by their next league match which should help ensure more stability and control in the long-term, but a centre-back and quite possibly a couple of full-backs too should be a priority. Lewis Hall looked sharp off the bench, but Howe clearly still doesn’t trust him. Lloyd Kelly will have to show more than he did at the Vitality to earn the left-back berth outright.
And while it had no bearing on the end result, Joelinton only receiving a yellow card for clotheslining Neto is one of the most bizarre refereeing decisions in recent years, among stiff competition. This was both dangerous and unsporting, not so much gamesmanship as a brass-necked assault. If a rule needs to change for that to be an automatic red card, then it should be changed immediately.
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