Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

News

Where’s The Newcastle United Squad?

10 years ago
Share

Now that the smoke and mirrors can be pushed to one side, you have to ask the question – ‘Where is the Newcastle United squad?’

After a veritable desert in the transfer market in recent transfer window, this summer’s flurry of action was a relief, but what are we really left with?

Alan Pardew said that he’d taken all his available first team players to Huddersfield and admitted that [intlink id=”45863″ type=”post”]Siem de Jong and Cheick Tiote may miss the start of the season[/intlink], with only Vurnon Anita seemingly unaccounted for when I checked who had actually gone to Huddersfield and who was missing.

The starting eleven on Tuesday was;

Krul, Janmaat, Coloccini, Williamson, Haidara, Colback, Gouffran, Sissoko, Cabella, Riviere, Ferreyra

While on the bench United had;

Subs: Elliot, Steven Taylor, Mapou, Dummett, Perez, Obertan, Abeid, Aarons

When I looked at that subs bench I initially thought, surely there must be a few that Alan Pardew has left at home and he’s forgotten about…

However, while Newcastle may have brought in seven signings in Riviere, Perez, Janmaat, Siem De Jong, Colback, Cabella and Ferreyra, the following eleven who were all available in some capacity in the last 12 months, are now all missing.

Luuk De Jong, Remy, Cabaye, Debuchy, Amalfitano, Shola, Gosling and Tavernier are no longer at St.James’ Park, while Marveaux has gone on loan and Gutierrez & Ben Arfa are totally frozen out.

(To feature like Dean, send in your articles for our website to contribute@themag.co.uk)

That subs bench plus possibly Anita, is likely to be what United have available against Manchester City and that is with only the two key players (De Jong and Tiote, as well as Cisse and Santon who are long-term injuries) injured.

So as back-up we have Elliot, two centre-backs in Mapou and Taylor, left back Dummett, promising but untried Aarons, Perez who was one for the future, Abeid who looks well short of what is needed and….Obertan.

While I didn’t rate players such as Gosling, Shola and Luuk De Jong, they at least gave the squad an unrealistic look of being bigger/stronger than it was. With those now stripped away alongside the very good players such as Remy, Debuchy and Cabaye, we are looking at a seriously understrength squad.

Taking into account we are already relying on one loan player in Ferreyra to prop up the first eleven, the lack of cover in midfield and attack is shocking.

The new season is hurtling towards us and are Newcastle United really prepared for it?

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks