This decision could a tactical disaster for Newcastle vs. West Brom

Newcastle United’s starting XI has been everchanging this season due to the club’s issues with illness and injury. With Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin now on the shelf until April, Steve Bruce will obviously need to shuffle his lineup vs. West Bromwich Albion.

The NUFC boss will be picking from a depleted group of players available in the attack. While there are some decent lineup possibilities, Newcastle will struggle if this player is inserted into the starting unit.

Simply put, Andy Carroll should not be the starting striker on Sunday. The veteran target man seemed to make a case for getting a start when talking to NUFC TV.

This season, Carroll has only made 14 appearances in the Premier League. His lone goal came in the second half of a 2-1 loss vs. Leicester City. That shot was one of only two efforts that he’s put on target out of 14 total.

While the Newcastle United lineup will need to be adjusted, Steve Bruce shouldn’t start this player in the attack.

He’s only played 12 minutes in Newcastle’s last seven Premier League matches. With Carroll, you will be getting a slow, physical player that will be able to win the ball in the air as long as he’s not fouling when attempting to do so.

In the past, you could say that having Carroll in the lineup would be helpful to get on the end of crosses and head in a goal or two. But, his days impacting a match like that seem far behind us.

Whether it’s Joelinton or Dwight Gayle getting the nod in the center of the attack, both are better options right now than the 32-year-old Carroll with the club desperate for a result vs. the Baggies. Bruce can certainly turn to him late if the club needs a big body up top, but he’s not a Premier League starting-caliber player at this stage in his career.