Newcastle United were dealt another blow over the weekend as three late goals from Manchester United consigned them to a 4-1 home defeat.
Steve Bruce’s side had taken an early lead and seen Karl Darlow save a second-half penalty from Bruno Fernandes to keep them in the running after Harry Maguire’s equaliser, only for Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Marcus Rashford to beat Darlow before full-time.
The result leaves Newcastle 13th in the league, still comfortably closer to the top four than they are to the bottom three, but they will be keen to provide a response against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.
We have picked out four ways in which they might be able to get points on the board against Nuno’s side.
Hendrick out, Fraser or Almiron in
After an impressive debut against West Ham United on the opening weekend of the season but Hendrick has not been able to keep up his consistency in the following week’s.
The Irishman was withdrawn late on against United, with Miguel Almiron taking his place, and it could be time to give the former Atlanta United man another chance in midfield.
Almiron has started just once this season in the league, but his fresh legs could be what Bruce’s side need against Wolves. Alternatively, the trip to Molineux could be the setting for Ryan Fraser to make his first league start.
The Scotland international started and scored for his country in a victory over the Czech Republic earlier in the month, and he too would offer a different line of attack.
Carroll in for Joelinton and two up top
The opening game of the season saw Newcastle put in one of their more complete displays, and it owed a bit to the partnership between Carroll and Callum Wilson in attack.
The pair caused problems for West Ham United at the London Stadium, helping the Magpies begin the season with a 2-0 win, though their failure to repeat the trick against Brighton has seen Carroll return to the bench.
Wolves have introduced young centre-back, Max Kilman, to their back-line in recent weeks, with Romain Saiss stepping up into midfield, and there could be a temptation to throw the big man back into the mix to give the 23-year-old the sort of test he won’t have faced all that much.
Schar in and switch to a back 3 to counter Wolves’ system
Fabian Schar played the majority of the second half against Manchester United, replacing Isaac Hayden when the midfielder suffered a hamstring injury.
While the Swiss international may be in contention to reprise the role, Bruce may also want to consider moving Schar into a back three, where he has played in the past.
Wolves’ worst display of the season came against a West Ham side who were able to counter Nuno’s preferred 3-4-3 system with a three-man defence of their own, and it could at least be something for Bruce to think about.
Sean Longstaff to get a chance from the start
Assuming Hayden isn’t fit to start at Molineux, another option is to bring Sean Longstaff back in from the cold.
The midfielder put in some impressive performances last season, not least his goalscoring display in the win at Bournemouth, but there has been no place for him in Newcastle’s league line-ups this term.
He has played less than 10 minutes in the league, leaving the bench late on against West Ham and Burnley, but has played a more prominent role in the Magpies’ Carabao Cup run.
By adding some homegrown steel to the starting XI, Newcastle may find themselves well-placed to give daunting opponents a run for their money.
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