Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has a lot of things on which to focus over the course of the international break.
Obviously, the fact that much of the Newcastle United squad is now away on international duty does not really help Howe.
Still, the Newcastle United manager will no doubt be pleased about having some much-needed clarity. The Alexander Isak saga is over and Howe now has two new strikers to deploy when his team returns to action at home to Wolves on Saturday, 13 September.
With that in mind, Geordie Boot Boys looks at three things Howe needs to work on over the international break.
Harvey Barnes playing for Newcastle United against Liverpool.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Improving Harvey Barnes
Harvey Barnes remains at the Newcastle United training ground, given he looks well down the pecking order with England these days.
That will be a boost for Howe. Barnes was brilliant at times last season and his performance in the Carabao Cup final will long be remembered.
This time around, however, the former Leicester man is struggling. Granted, not having a striker to bounce off cannot be easy, but Barnes has underwhelmed in all three games thus far.
With Anthony Gordon suspended for the next two games, Newcastle need more from Barnes. He scored nine Premier League goals last season but hasn’t looked close to finding the back of the net this time around.
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The sooner Barnes is back to something approaching his best, the better Newcastle’s attack will be.
How to use Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade
Between them, Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade will need to replace Alexander Isak’s haul of 23 Premier League goals last season.
Both players look versatile enough to operate together. While Wissa will surely start right away as Woltemade gets up to speed with life in a new league, it will be fascinating to see how it all looks going forward.
Newcastle do not have time, however. They’ve taken only two points from their first three games, and their last performance left an awful lot to be desired.
Howe needs to come up with a solution to their attacking problems quickly. He has the tools, but not the time. Not having either in the building for the large majority of the break is not helpful.
Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope is shown a yellow card while playing against Leeds United in the Premier League.
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
The Nick Pope vs Aaron Ramsdale battle
Nick Pope has started the season in goal for Newcastle, although Aaron Ramsdale must be applying some pressure now.
It’s not that Pope has made a series of glaring mistakes that quickly need to be addressed. However, he did let in three goals against Liverpool, and questions do need to be asked about why he did not really dive for any of them.
There must have been a reason Newcastle were pursuing a goalkeeper better with his feet for two summers, too. They wanted James Trafford but ended up with Ramsdale.
If Howe wants to change the way in which Newcastle build from the back, that process needs to start at some point.