Under normal circumstances during a regular season, Eddie Howe would be able to make some changes by rotating his starting lineup or calling upon substitutes from the bench. However, for this current campaign, that has not been the case, and the options for adjustment have been quite limited.
At the beginning of the season, Newcastle United had a well-equipped squad, but it was severely impacted by injuries in a short time. The most significant challenge has emerged in midfield, where Eddie Howe only has three available options in Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff, and Lewis Miley. While Miley has been playing well, he is still young at just 17 years old and has been given more playing time than anticipated. Unfortunately, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali are ruled out for the remainder of the season, and there is no available timeline for the return of Joe Willock and Elliot Anderson. Although the January transfer window was open, Newcastle United failed to make any senior signings.
The lack of options is compelling Eddie Howe to come up with innovative solutions, especially considering that his team’s midfield has currently become vulnerable. George Caulkin, the Athletic’s journalist, has recently suggested on the Pod On The Tyne podcast that Eddie Howe is considering alternative options to address Newcastle United’s injury issues. One possible solution is to deploy Fabian Schar in midfield. Caulkin also mentioned that Howe has recently been considering using a back five formation in their games.
Caulkin also referred to Aston Villa’s game, where Howe switched to a back five formation to adjust his team formation. He further explained that Eddie Howe has been contemplating the idea of using Fabian Schar in midfield at different times. Considering Newcastle United’s current vulnerability, it will be crucial to see what Howe decides to do next to solve the issues the team is facing.
Deploying Fabian Schar as a midfielder may pose a risk that is not worth taking. The strategy of changing to a back five, as seen against Aston Villa, proved successful. Tino Livramento came on as a substitute and played on the left of defense, while Dan Burn shifted to the center. This adjustment limited the Villa’s attacking potency and helped Newcastle United to secure a 3-1 win. If the back five proves to be effective again, it might be preferable to this proposed idea of using Schar as a midfielder.
George Caulkin mentioned another potential solution by proposing the idea of using Fabian Schar in midfield. Given Schar’s impressive ball handling abilities, it is understandable why this concept would be considered. Some fans are also in support of this alternative solution as they continuously face midfield issues. Nonetheless, it poses a significant risk as it failed to work during Steve Bruce’s reign as manager of Newcastle United. Bruce had previously moved Schar into an advanced midfield position in three games, and every one of those matches ended in defeat. Despite Eddie Howe’s consideration, this proposal has not gained any momentum so far. Considering Joe Willock’s likely return soon, this alternative should be less likely to happen.
