Newcastle United picked up a big point at home vs. Spurs last weekend in a 2-2 draw. The defense looked solid enough, outside of the few minutes that Harry Kane managed to score a brace in. But, there is one player on that Newcastle United backline that continues to struggle.
Emil Krafth has consistently shown that he’s not up to the task of being a Premier League defender. His deflection essentially gifted Kane his first goal and he just doesn’t seem equipped to deal with the talented attacking players in the EPL.
With Steve Bruce’s side having a chance to pick up three points vs. a beatable Burnley side on Sunday, the club’s biggest liability defensively must be benched.
If Bruce does the right thing and benches Krafth vs. Burnley, there are two primary options, plus a third potentially, to replace him. In a four-man backline, Javier Manquillo is the obvious answer. He’s a true right-back and was the club’s best right-back, even when DeAndre Yedlin was still around. If he’s fit, he should start.
Emil Krafth must be benched when Newcastle United face Burnley.
Or, Brucey could go with a more attack-minded change and plug Jacob Murphy in there. He played well as a right wing-back vs. Spurs and definitely gives the Magpies the most going forward from that spot.
The last possibility would be if the Newcastle boss sticks with a five-man defense. In that instance, keep Murphy as the wing-back on that side and plug in Federico Fernandez. He’s been working his way back and could slot in there.
It makes little sense to play Krafth as the starting right-back and even less sense to start him as a center-back in a five-man backline. If Bruce is thinking things through, Krafth will not be in the Newcastle starting XI at Turf Moor.