St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - October 8, 2022. Newcastle United's Dan Burn shakes hands with Brentford's Ivan Toney.
Journalist John Gibson believes that at any other club, Newcastle United ace Dan Burn would be dropped from the first team.
The Lowdown: Howe is short of options
A lot has been made about Newcastle’s lack of depth in the centre of midfield due to Joe Willock’s injury, Bruno Guimaraes’ suspension and Jonjo Shelvey leaving last month.
However, that is arguably not the only problem area in which Eddie Howe has concerns, with Dan Burn – a natural centre-back – playing out of position for the majority of the season due to the injury Matt Targett sustained earlier in the campaign.
Many Newcastle fans may well want Burn out of the side after showing signs of carelessness during last weekend’s display against Bournemouth, including when he lost possession near his own box and required a goalline clearance from Kieran Trippier to spare his blushes.
The Latest: Burn lucky to keep his spot
While Burn has been a mainstay in the meanest defence across the Premier League, Gibson claimed on the Everything is Black and White podcast that any other side would drop Burn to the bench after his display last weekend.
He said: “I thought Dan Burn was horrendous last week, and that display of a left-back – who is not essentially a left-back – would normally see him dropped the next week at any other club. You’re not going to drop Dan Burn one week before the cup final and knock all the stuffing out of him completely, that’s not going to happen.”
The Verdict: Eddie Howe shouldn’t start tinkering
Given the importance of the game this weekend against a top-four rival in Liverpool and also how impeccably well his trusted back four have performed this season having conceded just 13 goals, Howe should be sticking with what he knows.
If he was to thrust someone such as Jamal Lewis in at left-back then it would be an incredibly bold decision given that the Northern Ireland international hasn’t started a game all season, whereas Burn hasn’t missed a single league fixture.
While Burn certainly didn’t have his best of outings down on the south coast last weekend, his presence on and off the pitch has seen him become a ‘well-liked member of the dressing room‘ and also allows Trippier to venture forward on the right knowing Burn will slot into a back three with Fabian Schar and Sven Botman.
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