Newcastle United should be full of confidence as they head to West Ham on Sunday, but there is one weakness they must be wary of.
It’s been a great week for Newcastle United, who have now won three games on the spin and taken a step closer to retaining the Carabao Cup.
All of those victories came at St. James’ Park, though, with Eddie Howe’s side yet to pick up a win on the road in the Premier League this season.
That should change on Sunday when Newcastle face a West Ham United who are desperately struggling at the bottom of the table, are on their second manager of the campaign and haven’t managed to win at home yet.
With the form Newcastle are in, they should destroy the Hammers, who have the worst defence in the division.
Yet, Howe has made it clear he will not be underestimating West Ham and has pointed out their attacking talent.
Dan Burn with Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe outside the Newcastle United training centre.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Eddie Howe will not underestimate West Ham
Howe delivered good news on Lewis Hall’s recovery and praised Nick Woltemade in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
The manager also found time to assess the threat West Ham will pose to his side, despite their lowly position.
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“They have a group of very good players, especially in attacking areas,” he said.
“We need to keep a good defensive structure and limit their space. Our away form hasn’t been strong enough and that is something we are looking to rectify.
“It is a difficult ground to go to and we don’t underestimate West Ham at all.”
Howe’s praise of West Ham’s quality forwards is pertinent and does identify a potential weakness they could exploit in Newcastle: Dan Burn.
Dan Burn against Jarrod Bowen could be a problem for Newcastle
Though West Ham are hapless across most of the pitch, they do have one star player in forward Jarrod Bowen.
The England international has scored three of West Ham’s mere seven goals this season and set up another. Even when the team around him is crumbling, Bowen is still capable of making magic.
With pace, skill and a lethal finish, Bowen is a real threat and will no doubt be eyeing up Burn with anticipation.
Burn is an excellent defender and has done well after being forced back out to left-back following injuries to Hall and Tino Livramento.
Yet, he is slow and can be caught out of position. As Dodi Lukebakio displayed for Benfica, a fast and skilful forward can get a lot of joy against Burn. Bowen is much better.
So Newcastle must be ready to deal with the threat. Joelinton and Anthony Gordon have to be alert and quick to get to Bowen when he picks up the ball and do their best not to leave him one-on-one with Burn.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sandro Tonali replace Lewis Miley to provide more cover for West Ham counterattacks.
If Newcastle nullify Bowen, then they should have no problems at all.