Chris Sutton believes Newcastle United will have a ‘puncher’s chance’ against Manchester City this weekend.
The Magpies travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals, where a spot in the last four is at stake.
Newcastle United will have a difficult encounter, but some recent developments may improve their prospects. First and foremost, Anthony Gordon has averted a catastrophic knee injury and may be able to return to training soon, and his inclusion in the England squad implies he is fit. Second, Manchester City will be without Kevin De Bruyne due to injury.
Even without De Bruyne, Manchester City should have too much quality. While Newcastle will have the offensive talent to challenge Pep Guardiola’s team, they will struggle defensively.
Eddie Howe’s side has been leaking goals for months, and Chris Sutton is concerned about how awful the Toon defence has suddenly become.
Chris Sutton says Newcastle’s defensive record is ‘alarming’
On the It’s All Kicking Off episode, Sutton discussed Newcastle and their upcoming game against Manchester City, as well as what is currently going wrong for the Magpies.
“They have a puncher’s chance,” he explained.
“Do I believe they’ll win? No. But I wouldn’t completely dismiss Newcastle. They’ve delved a lot deeper under Eddie Howe. Will they pose a goal threat? I suspect so.
“What has been concerning about Newcastle this season is that they received a lot of credit for their defensive record last season, but they have already conceded five more goals than they did in the duration of last season’s Premier League.
That’s where the issue is, but they do have some quality players coming up.”
Newcastle desperately need to tighten up
Newcastle’s defensive performance this season has been shocking, especially given how good we were in that area last year.
Our back five, including goalkeeper Nick Pope, were rock-solid. The defenders were like bouncers, and anyone who got past them had to face the giant between the sticks.
However, Newcastle’s defence has lacked consistency, which has hampered them throughout the season.
First and foremost, Pope’s absence is deeply felt. It has changed the team’s defensive strategy, and not for the better. Furthermore, Sven Botman does not seem the same after suffering a significant knee injury, and Dan Burn has been repeatedly exploited.
It will be intriguing to watch if things improve when Pope returns to fitness next month, but for the time being, Newcastle must find a way to improve without him, beginning on Saturday against last season’s treble winners Manchester City.
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