2022-2023 PL: Newcastle United vs. Liverpool

(The Guardian) Howe’s thin squad seek atonement
Newcastle’s solitary Premier League defeat of the season came at Anfield and Eddie Howe’s team should be suitably keen to atone for that narrow, contentious reverse when they are reunited with Jürgen Klopp and co at St James’ Park. Howe is looking a bit light in the midfield department: Bruno Guimarães serves the final game of his three-match suspension and Joe Willock is sidelined by a hamstring injury. With Jonjo Shelvey sold to Nottingham Forest and no replacement signed the likeliest midfield trio will be Sean Longstaff, Joelinton and the promising but inexperienced Whitley-Bay born 20-year-old Elliot Anderson. The other difficulty is that, in recent weeks, Howe has often preferred Joelinton to Allan Saint-Maximin and Anthony Gordon for a starting role on the left of the front three. Newcastle may remain creditably hard to beat but a run of five draws in their last six Premier League games suggests a certain lack of quality in depth within the squad. With next Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester United fast approaching and a Champions League place to challenge for, there could not be a better time for Anderson to confirm his rich potential.

(The Guardian) Sky Sports News just ran an interview with Odsonne Édouard, the Crystal Palace forward, whose return of five goals so far this season is not as many as he (or his manager Patrick Vieira) would like.

“We don’t score enough. We need to improve in every aspect,” Édouard says. “… We need to have more balance in the midfield … I need to score more goals, I need to give more assists. Sometimes it’s like this, it’s hard, but I need to keep working to help the team.

“This moment is hard, especially for a striker. You have to keep working, to never give up, and my time will come. It’s all you can do. I just need to score one goal, and that’s it. Yeah, just keep working.”

(The Guardian) Klopp determined to build on Liverpool's derby win
For starters, the Liverpool manager is asked for an injury update: “Same squad [as for Everton] … nothing happened on the injury side.”

On facing Newcastle tomorrow evening: “Massive game. If we want to reach something we have to chase ever … it’s not easy, it will never be easy, but the only way you can do is to give it a try.

“Tough one. Newcastle, best defence in the league. Lost only once, I heard? Against us. And we needed a late, late goal. They are very consistent … it’s a tough place to go. Hopefully we can build on the performance on Monday … this time it was different, it was us, it looked like us … people said after the game Everton didn’t do this or that as much as they did against Arsenal – I think it was really because we did well in that game, but that’s a prove to point tomorrow.

“Eddie’s doing an exceptional job.”

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Will Virgil van Dijk be fit to start against Newcastle? “I think so,” says Klopp. “Yesterday he looked absolutely ready … I think today he will look the same, and then we make a decision.”

Is it hard to rest young players like Stefan Bajcetic when they are playing so well? “It’s not that difficult … we can read numbers, stuff like this … it’s very individual. Players are different, when they’re young, we have to keep a close eye on that. How it is with three games a week, I don’t know … we have other players as well.

“Stefan played exceptional [against Everton], not just because he is 18, he just played exceptional. And it was Fabinho’s best game for a long time … we have senior players [back] who have not been involved for a long time, and long may it continue.”

Newcastle XI: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Joelinton, Longstaff, Anderson; Saint-Maximin, Almiron, Isak

Newcastle subs: Dubravka, Dummett, Lascelles, Gordon, Wilson, Ritchie, Lewis, Manquillo, Murphy

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson; Henderson, Bajcetic, Fabinho; Salah, Gakpo, Nunez

Liverpool subs: Kelleher, Milner, Keita, Firmino, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Phillips, Matip

Alisson is quick off his line to stop a through ball

Ohhh and i missed Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope is sent off.