Eddie Howe got it wrong on Wednesday night, as Newcastle United fell to a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
It was always going to be a tough game given Crystal Palace’s recent form, but Newcastle United should have been full of confidence themselves after their last game. The Magpies were rampant against Tottenham Hotspur, producing one of their best performances of the season.
Eddie Howe‘s players also had plenty of rest ahead of the game at Selhurst Park, and should have been more than ready for the challenge. However, a really disappointing performance resulted in a 2-0 defeat.
Combine that with Manchester United’s win over Sheffield United and suddenly our chances of qualifying for Europe have diminished. Obviously there is still a chance, but the Europa League suddenly feels very far away.
Eddie Howe got his tactics wrong against Crystal Palace
Newcastle were poor all over the pitch at Selhurst Park, and that was partially down to Eddie Howe’s tactics.
He decided to use the same system that worked so well against Tottenham, with Jacob Murphy and Elliot Anderson operating as wing-backs. While it was excellent in our previous game, it was not fit for purpose against Crystal Palace.
It did not take long to realise that it was not working, yet Howe persevered. Even when he brought Callum Wilson and Lewis Hall on, he kept the formation the same.
It was a rare tactical blunder from Howe, who got it so right against Spurs.
Newcastle United manager also made another strange decision
But the formation was not the only strange decision Howe made on Wednesday night, and this second one has caught the attention of a lot of Toon fans.
When we wrote our predicted starting XI piece, we had Tino Livramento coming into the team. It felt all but certain that the 21-year-old would start, having returned from injury off the bench in our last game.
Yet Howe stuck with the same XI that start against Tottenham, meaning Livramento was on the bench.
But what was even more confusing was the fact that Howe did not even bring the former Southampton man on. He left Livramento on the bench, despite Newcastle crying out for some quality down that right flank.
It was really strange to see Howe opt against giving Livramento some minutes, and a lot of Newcastle United fans have given their verdict on the £32million man failing to feature.
Newcastle fans react to Tino Livramento not playing a single minute
Following the Magpies’ 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, multiple Toon fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to give their verdict on Livramento not playing at all.
One fan wrote: “Howe wins a game playing one way, and then just expects it to work the next game regardless. No way should Krafth and Murphy started with Hall and Livramento available.”
Another added: “Imagine starting any combination of Krafth, Murphy and Anderson at full back/wing back when Hall and Livramento are fit? Blind loyalty costs us again,” another added.
A third Newcastle supporter tweeted: “Krafth should’ve been off 30 minutes ago. Everything has been going down his side for a reason. If Livramento isn’t fit enough to come on as a sub, then why is he even in the bench? Terrible performance, terrible tactics. Another game down the drain.”
One fan simply wrote: “Livramento not seeing a minute is a joke.”
Another questioned Livramento not playing, commenting: “Fully deserved by Palace, they have absolutely dominated us. Toothless display by us, if Livramento isn’t fit why is he on the bench? One of our worst performances of the season.”
And finally, a sixth Newcastle fan added: “Defeat is on Eddie tonight. Really poor team selection. Livramento and Hall should’ve been starting.”
The decision not to play Livramento has not gone down well, and hopefully he is back in the team on Saturday when Newcastle United face Sheffield United at St James’ Park.
The real reason why Livramento did not play
The fact that Livramento was on the bench suggested that he was fit enough to play, but that seemingly was not the case.
After the game, Eddie Howe stated that the defender was only in the squad in case of emergency, as he continues to nurse an ankle problem.
That explains why he did not feature, but if the injury is that bad then he should not even be on the bench at all.
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