Newcastle United thrashed Leicester City at St. James' Park last weekend and followed up that emphatic victory with a confident showing against Brentford in the Carabao Cup, setting up a semi-final tie with Arsenal.
While Eddie Howe will be delighted that his side are in a good moment, he will know that sustaining that newly crafted fluency is the only way to make true headway.
That's why it's crucial that the Magpies emerge from Portman Road with three points this weekend, though Ipswich Town certainly won't make things easy for them.
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The newly-promoted side have shown promise this term and won at struggling Wolves last time out. Newcastle will need to be incisive to put any doubts to bed, and Howe might want to consider dropping Jacob Murphy from his frontline.
Why Newcastle should drop Jacob Murphy
Murphy has featured prominently for Newcastle this season, starting nine times in the Premier League.
Jacob Murphy
Murphy's role at right wing has somewhat polarised fans, for he's not blessed with the technical capacity and bite that Newcastle need as a long-term starter on the right, though he still manages to impress through his work-rate and consistency.
And in fairness, Murphy placed two assists during the 4-2 defeat against Brentford two weeks ago before following that up with a brace at St. James' Park against the Foxes.
Even so, Howe might be inclined to drop the 28-year-old for this one, for Murphy started once again in the midweek cup tie and put in an energetic display, with one shot clanging off the post.
Instead, he might look for a sharper clinical edge in a hostile environment, and for that reason, must unleash Harvey Barnes from the outset.
The Newcastle star who should replace Barnes
Barnes is not a right winger, with his lethal right foot meaning that his best placement is on the alternate side, where he can marry his shooting with high-speed running and wreak havoc on Premier League defences.
Harvey Barnes: Premier League Stats (19/20 - 24/25)
Season
2024/25
2023/24
2022/23
2021/22
2020/21
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see, he's been an effective outlet in the top flight over a number of years, and though the winger has only been handed 13 starts for Newcastle, a return of ten goals and four assists speaks highly of his invariable potency.
In fact, as per FBref, Barnes ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored (0.60) per 90, emphasising just how clinical a threat that he is. He has even been hailed for his "unbelievable" talent by former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in the past.
Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes
Five Premier League sides have shipped more than the Tractor Boys (28) this year, but looking at the xgA (expected goals against) chart, they have outperformed their expected tally by a divisional high 9.60, as per Understat.
What this effectively means is that they are more susceptible to defensive fragilities than their actual concession rate would suggest, with a combination of good shot-stopping and wayward finishing creating that situation.
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Whichever way you look at the data, it's hard to argue that it doesn't bode well for a sharpshooter such as Barnes, who will take an opportunity with incisiveness and slot into the Portman Road net.
If Howe chooses to drop Murphy for the most prolific force, it would come at a certain cost to Anthony Gordon, who would need to be taken from his left-wing spot and placed on the right, something he does without complaint though clearly doesn't favour.
Nonetheless, this could be a winning combination for Newcastle on Saturday afternoon and is something that Howe needs to enforce.
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Newcastle are finding their feet but need more firepower up front.