The Magpies look set to ring the changes in the FA Cup at Aston Villa this weekend
Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa
Newcastle United forwards Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa(Image: Richard Lee/Shutterstock)
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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has afforded himself a £124m luxury at Aston Villa on FA Cup fourth-round night.
Howe made the bold call to bench both Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa as he fielded three wingers in his attack for the 2-1 win over Spurs. It was a move that paid off with Wissa getting a complete rest and Woltemade playing a two-minute cameo to help out defensively in the latter stages.
The Toon chief also rested Lewis Hall and only used him in stoppage time as Dan Burn was preferred at left-back. Chronicle Live understands that Howe is simply "managing minutes" of certain players close to the red zone and there could be more rotation on the way against Villa then Qarabag in the Champions League play-offs.
When hinting about changes, Howe said after the game last night: "I thought the players were all out on the pitch, we were getting cramp at the end. Our schedule has been relentless, but I thought the performance was brilliant."
Hall will be a contender to come back in at left-back at Villa, with a five-man defence also possible, meaning Burn could get another slice of the action. Both stars will be desperate to play in the FA Cup with the trophy now Newcastle's most realistic chance of silverware this term.
Either Wissa or Woltemade will also come into the reckoning although Howe played both in the last round at home to AFC Bournemouth when the £124m experiment had mixed success. That day Woltemade assisted Harvey Barnes for the opening strike while Wissa did not score.
Speaking on his attack last night Howe commented to journalists: "Anthony’s legs, his desire to press, makes the team play better. It had a really fluid look to it. We wanted to play with a fluid frontline and we wanted to press aggressively.
"You need quick and mobile players to do that."
In midfield Howe's options have been boosted despite the absence of Lewis Miley and Joelinton through injuries. Jacob Ramsey and Joe Willock have stepped up their performances and if everybody was fit, Howe would have a real headache.
With Bruno Guimaraes also sweating on fitness after a hamstring injury, Howe will hope that Willock and Ramsey can replicate their performances at Spurs.
United staff will hold a roll call at Benton ahead of Villa, but either way, whether stars are fit or not, changes seem afoot at Villa Park.
Howe said: "You are constantly asked new questions, we are playing a game every three days and sometimes that can feel like you can’t breathe, that you can’t reset, you are being asked to play again and again.
"That is why we rotated the squad to a degree against Spurs, to try and freshen a couple of players up, so they can really find their top form. We need to try and have the ability to do that more if we can get a few players back from injury."
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