Talk of the Toon: Duo’s return shouldn’t spell end for Guthrie
MOVED TO RIGHT ... Danny Guthrie.
ALAN Pardew may have to go back to the drawing board this week ahead of the visit of relegation-threatened Wolves.
Newcastle make a return to Premier League action after a week off – giving the Toon an extra week to dwell on their demoralising defeat at White Hart Lane last time out.
With that 5-0 defeat still fresh in the mind, the Magpies’ manager will have to decide whether or not changes are needed across the park, when they welcome the managerless 18th-placed side to St James’s Park on Saturday.
Some might suggest that game was just a blip in their season, but – following on from last month’s 5-2 loss at Fulham – it might be the right time for him to make changes.
Bad performances from some of the club’s regular starters will no doubt have concerned Pardew, but at the same time they were up against a team playing the best football in the division.
Pardew’s biggest decision will no doubt come in the heart of midfield.
Danny Guthrie has stepped into the breach more than once this season and – after filling in for the absent Yohan Cabaye and Cheik Tiote – his performances have led him to push for a regular starting place.
However, Cabaye and Tiote are now eligible for selection again as they make a return from suspension and International duty respectively.
The Newcastle manager must now decide whether to reward Guthrie’s fine form with another start or revert to his more recognisable central midfield pairing.
Factor in the small matter of a local derby the following Sunday and the decision to play Tiote – a player who is susceptible to bookings – and/or Cabaye, who has only just returned from a ban, might just be taken out of Pardew’s hands.
Euro bid is still on course – Guthrie
That said, a team has to play its best players when available and even though Guthrie is currently playing some of his best football at Newcastle, Cabaye and Tiote are a cut-above in terms of quality and should really be drafted straight back into the team.
It will then be up to the pair of them to maintain their discipline on the pitch ahead of the Sunderland game eight days later.
Another dilemma for the Magpies is on the right-hand side of midfield.
Gabriel Obertan hasn’t made the best of starts to his time on Tyneside and might find himself back on the substitutes bench after being replaced by youngster Shane Ferguson at Tottenham.
An introduction of Hatem Ben Arfa into the team could lead to a squad shuffle, with Jonas Gutierrez being asked to switch wings to accommodate him . However, that could lead to a disruption within the squad.
Gutierrez and Davide Santon have linked up very well together down the left this season and, regardless of Ben Arfa’s talent, it would not be worth splitting those two up.
Guthrie has already played a few games on the right during his time at the club and has proven himself as a dependable deputy in this position as well.
Playing Guthrie out wide might just give Pardew a happy medium this weekend.
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Print this page- Newcastle United weigh up bids for defensive duo
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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