At a glance
- Newcastle back four vs Chelsea could continue at Barcelona
- Botman, Livramento, Hall and Thiaw all fit on rare occasion
- Howe might play a back five instead
Newcastle United’s 1-0 win over Chelsea saw an unprecedented situation occur as he was finally able to field what many consider his strongest back four. It was a massive boost. and sets the XI up perfectly for the massive away leg against Barcelona tomorrow night.
Eddie Howe’s backline has faced a mass of injuries across the season. Tino Livramento and Sven Botman are the most culpable of the absentees.
But those issues seem to have subsided just in time for the biggest game in the club’s history. The Champions League fixture could be the perfect opportunity to really establish the starting back four.
Hall & Livramento: dynamic fullback duo
Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento established themselves as one of the best full-back pairings in the Premier League last season. Unfortunately, building on that proved difficult as Livramento missed two months due to a hamstring injury.
Veteran Kieran Trippier has stepped in to deputise for the majority of the season. But Howe’s side has undoubtedly missed the energy and dynamism that Livramento provides.
With the former Chelsea man returning against his former club, hopes of the World Cup squad are far from over. In fact, all being well, Newcastle could see both Hall and exit-linked Livramento starting in America over the summer.
Thomas Tuchel is familiar with both, having used Livramento in the England squad before. Interestingly, he also handed Hall his Chelsea debut.
Thiaw & Botman: a colossal pairing
Sven Botman has played alongside the ever-present Malick Thiaw at points this season. But he has struggled to consistently stay fit and has seen his minutes diluted by the experience and leadership of Dan Burn in recent weeks.
Botman is undeniably part of Newcastle’s best centre-back pairing when firing. The Dutchman hasn’t been at his colossal best this season, but has the ability to come good at any moment.
Something he showed in abundance against Chelsea: a stellar performance. Should he be ready to play on Wednesday, it would feel rather silly to leave such a talented player out of the club’s biggest ever game.
Howe could opt for experience
With Botman and Livramento not having an abundance of minutes lately, there is a chance Howe opts against playing them here. The experience that both Trippier and Burn have, a fixture which will likely see the Tynesiders on the back foot for large majorities of the game, could well favour leadership ability at the back.
The more likely of the two to force their way in is definitely Burn. The English centre-back played in the first leg at St James’ Park and handled the brilliance of Robert Lewandowski excellently.
Howe could favour returning to his trusty 6’7″ Northumbrian again at the Camp Nou. This would see Botman drop harshly to the bench once again.
Livramento will likely be favoured over Trippier after the nullifying performance he put in against Alejandro Garnacho at the weekend. The pace of Raphinha down the wing may favour the more dynamic nature of Tino’s defending.
Could it be a back five?
The other alternative to the aforementioned back four, which would still see all of them featured, is a back five.
Howe might prefer to absorb as much pressure as possible and catch Flick’s side in transition. We could therefore see Botman play alongside both Burn and Thiaw.
In that system, Hall and Livramento would likely operate as the wing-back combination. Providing the width and attacking intent to pin back Barcelona’s dangerous wide men in Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.
