Newcastle United played one of their most attack-centric matches earlier this week vs. Crystal Palace. While they came up short, the club had some great chances and it was actually fun to watch for the fans. But, tomorrow’s match vs. Southampton may have less offensive aggression due to limited options on their own backline.
According to Steve Bruce’s pre-match press conference, Newcastle United will definitely be without Federico Fernandez, Jamaal Lascelles, and Jamal Lewis vs. the Saints. He also added that Ciaran Clark’s partner has gone into labor, so his status is uncertain, and Paul Dummett is still struggling.
Even if all of those players are out, the club can still field a decent enough back four. Matt Ritchie will slot in at left-back, Fabian Schar and Isaac Hayden would play centrally, and Javier Manquillo would start again at right-back. Emil Krafth and Jacob Murphy could also help out back there if needed.
But, the concern will be that Bruce uses the absences on the backline as an excuse to play more defensive. He could claim that he didn’t want them to be exposed and needed to put more numbers behind the ball. Against a club that conceded nine goals less than a week ago, Newcastle must be offensive-minded and this could prevent Steve Bruce from doing that.
Hopefully, Clark’s partner will have a happy, healthy baby and the defender will be available and Dummett can power through his injury issues and be an option for the Newcastle manager. But, if neither can go, you can expect a much less fun performance from the Magpies tomorrow at St. James’ Park.