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Eddie Howe has backed Anthony Elanga to become a ‘great player’ for Newcastle United.
Following back-to-back wins against Union Saint-Gilloise and Nottingham Forest before the international break, Howe named an unchanged starting XI.
But after trailing 1-0 at half-time through Danny Welbeck’s opener, Elanga and Joelinton made way for Jacob Murphy and Lewis Miley.
Why Eddie Howe hooked Anthony Elanga and Joelinton at half-time v Brighton
Explaining the changes, Howe said: “Yeah, it was tactical. I wasn't happy with the first half and I think it was a time for us to try and shake the team up, to try and get new energy onto the pitch.
“Different players with different qualities and I thought the team benefited from it.”
Newcastle went on to equalise in the 74th minute, with Miley delivering the low cross that Nick Woltemade superbly flicked home. But eight minutes later, Brighton grabbed a winner as Welbeck added his second.
Eddie Howe defends Anthony Elanga after slow start to Newcastle United career start
Elanga joined the Magpies from Nottingham Forest for £55million in the summer but is yet to register a goal or assist in his 11 appearances in all competitions, though Howe was keen to defend his new signing, instead highlighting the team as a whole.
While Elanga has endured a slow start to life on Tyneside, the team has also struggled in the opening stages of the season, sitting 12th in the Premier League table with just two wins from eight matches.
“We need more from everybody,” Howe said. “It's never about one player.
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“Anthony is going to be a great player for this football club, I've got no doubt about that but some players need a little bit extra time and more support and for just something to happen positively for them to suddenly kick off. He's got all the attributes to do really well here, so I've got no issues or worries with him.
“It's about the team. It's always about the collective and too many of our attacking players currently aren't delivering enough and that's sometimes withdrawing through the team, as in looking at your centre-halves and their distribution and the full-backs, their contribution as well.
“So it's never about any one player.”
Newcastle United attacking concerns
A major factor in the Magpies’ tough start to the campaign is their struggles in front of goals. Of their seven goals - only Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Wolves have scored fewer - £69m summer arrival Nick Woltemade has netted four.
“Yeah, that would be a concern for us,” Howe admitted. “We can't rely on any one individual. I think we've always historically been a team that scored a lot of goals. We've had goals from different areas. We've never been reliant on any one player.
“Nick's done really well and we're delighted for him. We wanted to keep scoring, of course, but we need more from the other areas of the team. I thought there were chances there for us today, especially in the second half. There was a good attacking display, albeit we weren't clinical enough.”
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