Newcastle United players not available for Chelsea cup match – Seven, possibly eight
Just looking at the Newcastle United players who are unavailable for this Chelsea cup match.
What has Eddie Howe got available?
I think you will be surprised.
I have regularly read comments from a number of Newcastle United fans, declaring that Eddie Howe can have no excuses, as he now has almost a full first team squad to choose from.
Obviously their idea of a full squad is very different to mine.
Plus, you have to acknowledge as well that to start with, Eddie Howe has a significantly smaller squad than pretty much all major rival clubs when it comes to strength in depth. Chelsea of course at the very other extreme.
So who will this ‘almost a full Newcastle United squad’ be missing, when it comes to the starting eleven options on Wednesday for Eddie Howe?
Well this was the Newcastle United team v Chelsea:
Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall (Kelly 89), Joelinton (Osula 89), Bruno, Tonali (Longstaff 68), Barnes (Willock 68), Isak, Almiron (Jacob Murphy 68) UNUSED SUBS: Ruddy, Krafth, Lewis Miley, Vlachodimos
Ahead of the weekend just gone,, we already knew that the following wouldn’t be available for either Chelsea match:
Sven Botman
Jamaal Lascelles
Kieran Trippier
Callum Wilson
Then on Sunday we discovered Anthony Gordon has a groin issue and after missing on Sunday, there is surely no way he will be risked on Wednesday, even if the scan he was due to have today shows nothing serious.
So that’s five definitely missing for the cup match.
However, in reality, you have to think it is at least seven.
With both Ruddy and Vlachodimos in the matchday squad on Sunday, surely that tells us two things for sure.
That second choice keeper Martin Dubravka is clearly not available, having been forced off against AFC Wimbledon in the last round, hurting his knee in a collision.
Also, clearly Matt Targett is having major issues returning to availability. I think fair to say that if he was in any remotely ok condition, then he would have made Sunday’s bench instead of the matchday squad including three keepers.
Then in reality, I am strongly assuming that Lewis Miley can’t be considered for a start just yet. My assumption is that with the numbers available down, it has been an easy decision for Eddie Howe to include the 18 year old in recent matchday squads to get him back into the swing of things, without any intention of bringing him on. Maybe Eddie Howe will consider giving Lewis Miley some minutes from the bench on Wednesday but definitely not from the start.
So whilst Chelsea have the luxury of something like three teams’ worth of possible outfield starters on Wednesday night, Eddie Howe has the ten who started on Sunday, as well as four of the five subs who came on, as very likely far too much to expect Will Osula to be thrown in against this lot from the start. Which then leaves Emil Krafth as the only other outfield player who might be considered for the starting eleven.
Anybody who thinks this is some kind of level playing field at the moment, in terms of Eddie Howe’s playing resources compared to most of the other major teams, they are badly mistaken.
Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:
Wednesday 30 October – Newcastle v Chelsea (7.45pm) Sky Sports+
Saturday 2 November – Newcastle v Arsenal (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Sunday 10 November – Forest v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports
Monday 25 November – Newcastle v West Ham (8pm) Sky Sports
Saturday 30 November – Crystal Palace v Newcastle
Wednesday 4 December – Newcastle v Liverpool (7.30pm) Amazon
Saturday 7 December – Brentford v Newcastle (3pm)
Saturday 14 December – Newcastle v Leicester (3pm)
Saturday 21 December – Ipswich v Newcastle (3pm)
Thursday 26 December – Newcastle v Villa (3pm) Amazon
Monday 30 December – Man U v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports
Saturday 4 January – Tottenham v Newcastle (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Wednesday 15 January – Newcastle v Wolves (7.30pm) TNT Sports
Saturday 18 January – Newcastle v Bournemouth (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Saturday 25 January – Southampton v Newcastle (3pm)
