Eddie Howe must act on his attacking instincts and start Anthony Gordon against Barcelona tonight.
Goosebumps will rise around St James’ Park when the Champions League anthem pumps from the speakers tonight. The might of five-time winners Barcelona - the current La Liga champions - stand in Newcastle United’s way.
And big games, ultimately, call for big-game players. Luckily for Newcastle, they boast a caged terrier desperate to make amends after letting them down on two seismic occasions this year.
Anthony Gordon was forced to sit in the stands for the Carabao Cup final and the bulk of last month’s home clash with Liverpool. Twice, when Newcastle needed him most, the eternal flame in his belly burnt him.
Two idiotic red cards cost Gordon dearly and raised concerns about his long-term reliability. But leave him on the bench against Barcelona at your peril, Eddie Howe.
An impressive 17 goal contributions in his last 23 games across the Premier League “big six” highlight Gordon’s love for the grand stage. And it does not come much greater than pitting his wits, pace, skill and guile against the Catalan giants.
This is a player with arguably the most ambition in Newcastle’s squad. A year after joining the Magpies, he told Gary Neville: “My ambition is to be at the very top of football and I couldn’t do that where I was.”
While not a defence, it is possibly an explanation behind Gordon’s occasional reckless antics. Many great players before him also possessed the “edge” that defines their game, for better or worse.
In honesty, there could not be a better moment to slot him in. Harvey Barnes has hardly set the world alight despite being given a golden four-game opportunity to start the season on the left flank.
It has been debated whether his direct style is better suited from the bench, against weary defenders in the closing stages. His goal record certainly backs that up.
Gordon will have cut a frustrated figure from the stands as Newcastle limped to a goalless draw and 1-0 win in his absence. He has started just one game in his favoured left-wing position since February 23 - the 1-0 defeat to Everton on the final day of last season.
The 24-year-old is the type of player who can weaponise that anger into a game-changing performance. What Newcastle fan would not want to see Gordon - buoyed by the roar of St James’ Park - dashing down the wing tonight?
That is why Eddie Howe must unleash the beast against Barcelona. Gordon is not completely cold, either, having played for England on the recent international break.
His name on the team sheet will galvanise the mood inside the ground ahead of kick-off. You know it, Barca likely do too, but Howe is the one who holds that power when he pens his team sheet this evening.
Continue Reading