It was a tough day for Newcastle United on Sunday after suffering another defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Sunderland, but at least there was some good news for one Toon star.
The mood around Newcastle right now is, shall we say, tense? There’s a lot of bitterness in the air, and the fallout from yesterday’s confidence-shattering defeat will continue for a while, no doubt, especially with such a long gap until our next game.
Social media has been awash with negativity as the post-Sunderland post-mortem continues and fans argue over the future of Eddie Howe, who was booed alongside his players during the lap of the pitch yesterday.
But while the divided fanbase was bickering over the state of the club, a sixth Newcastle player was being called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
After turning down the potential to represent Scotland in the World Cup this year, in the hope that his form would be enough to see him recognised by England, Harvey Barnes has got his wish.
Arsenal winger Eberechi Eze has withdrawn from Tuchel’s 35-man squad, and the German gaffer has turned to Newcastle’s Barnes to replace him. Ironically, it happened yesterday after such a poor performance at St James’ Park, but overall this season, Barnes has definitely earned some recognition.
Thomas Tuchel has to trim his squad down, and it could be a case of last in, first out, so Barnes may still have to wait before picking up another England cap, but if he can impress in training, he could make a case for the World Cup and finally get his first competitive appearance for the Three Lions.
Barnes’ call-up means he’ll not be training with Newcastle during the international break as Eddie Howe and his coaching team try to address the issues that have plagued Newcastle’s season.
We should soon see how much the congested fixture schedule has taken its toll, as the Magpies have suddenly gone from a game every three to four days to no game until April 12th. And beyond that, the midweek madness will have stopped too. That gives Howe and the players actual meaningful time on the training pitch as well as time to rest between games.
First, we have to navigate three weeks without a game and straight after two of the most bruising defeats of the season. The question is, has the break come at the right time or not? Eddie Howe has often said this season that he’d prefer another game to come quickly following a defeat so they can move on, but is now the right time to dwell on things and analyse them?
We’ll find out on 12th April when we take on Crystal Palace.