Alan Shearer says two Newcastle players look so unfit right now

Alan Shearer is concerned about two Newcastle United players following their Boxing Day 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest.

The Magpies were absolutely dreadful against Forest, with Chris Wood scoring a hat-trick on his return to Tyneside to guarantee that St James’ Park did not have a very happy Christmas.

While our form is atrocious right now, Eddie Howe is under no pressure. The board still has entire faith in him, and that will be the case even if the club continues to struggle in January, with a difficult schedule ahead.

However, the performance against Forest was quite concerning, and Alan Shearer singled out two players who appeared’miles off’ on Tuesday: Dan Burn and Sven Botman.

Alan Shearer not impressed with Dan Burn and Sven Botman vs Nottingham Forest

Shearer has raised his concerns about Botman and Burn on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast.

“Botman has come back and Dan Burn has come back and they didn’t look anywhere near fit,” he said.

“They looked two yards short of what they normally are.

“Eddie went back to his trusted back four, which has been really successful for him over the past 18 months or so. He went back to that but those two in particular didn’t look anywhere near fit.

“It’s difficult, unless you are inside the training ground you haven’t a clue what’s going on, but looking at them on the pitch they looked miles off.”

 

Newcastle’s reliable defence is not fit enough just yet

The starting back four versus Forest was so dependable last season, but they were not up to the task on Boxing Day.

Before kickoff, it was difficult to see how Burn would deal with Anthony Elanga’s quickness, with Tino Livramento clearly a more viable option at left-back. Those fears were realized as the 31-year-old faced a torturous afternoon in black and white.

It was nice to see Sven Botman start a Premier League game for the first time since September, but he also appeared to be out of breath. On a day when few Magpies produced, it was one of his worst displays in a Toon shirt. Alexander Isak was competent, and Lewis Miley performed admirably, but that was about it.

Newcastle’s lack of pace was exposed on defense. When you combine that with a lack of crispness, it’s a wonder Wood only got three points.

Botman and Burn are both recovering from serious injuries, and it is apparent that they are still not totally recovered.

Howe requires the return of bodies. That is why Burn and Botman have been reintroduced to the team, albeit earlier than they should have been. They are still recovering, and it was evident than ever on Boxing Day that they are nowhere near healthy enough to play their best game right away.