OFFICIAL BREAKTHROUGH: ALEX MURPHY ENTERS FIRST-TEAM ROTATION AS NEWCASTLE DEFENSIVE INJURY CRISIS DEEPENS
Eddie Howe turns to Irish prospect Alex Murphy as injuries to Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall rock Newcastle’s festive defence.
Lately, Alex Murphy's been getting more time with Newcastle United's first team. Good for him, no matter how he got the chance.
Right now, Newcastle United is dealing with a lot of injuries, especially in defence. But Eddie Howe and the team are doing their best to get through it.
Tino Livramento is out for a while, and Lewis Hall hasn't been able to stay fit. This gave Lewis Miley a chance to play at right-back. Also, Alex Murphy played some minutes mid-week.
He might play more now through the busy holiday games. His rise has had a good effect on other academy players, too.
Alex Murphy deserves this opportunity.
Newcastle United youth coach Adam Lawrence told the Shields Gazette that Murphy's recent appearance is both good and bad for the club.
He said that people at the club know Alex much better than he does. But he has watched Alex play for the Under-21s. He has potential. He is making the most of situations.
He continued to state that with Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento injured, those aren’t ideal situations to want. Because those injuries allowed for academy players to step up. Alex played the last part of the game against Fulham, which was a big plus.
You get ready for that moment, and then when it happens. It is all about being prepared to handle the moment and make a good impression. It was nice to see Alex get a moment. It was a good moment for him.”
It looks like Murphy is now part of Newcastle's future strategies. Eddie Howe has praised the young defender for how well he's played under pressure.
Sean Neave and Leo Shahar are up next.
Murphy isn't the only one to step up recently. Leo Shahar and Sean Neave didn't play against Fulham last week. They were in the Carabao Cup team.
Lawrence is happy to see them move up, even if it means he can't use them for the Under-21s.
He said that “Having Leo and Sean with us today makes our team stronger, and it’s too bad they are missing because they would enjoy those types of games. Our goal is to get players into the first team and into the games that they have experience in today.
It’s good for our players to see that and to understand their opportunity. But also that it’s hard to be at that level. Leo and Sean have to work hard to get to that stage. Also, there, trying to find their way, some will hopefully get to that level.
When they see players getting better, they should feel that it is an inspiration.”
Lawrence also talked about Lewis Miley, who is also pushing the younger players at Newcastle. He is showing them that they can make it to the first team.
EXPERT ANALYSIS: EDDIE HOWE IDENTIFIES "CONFIDENCE" AS THE KEY TO FIXING NEWCASTLE’S AWAY FORM
Despite a nervy second half, Eddie Howe’s side clinched their second away win of the season. Read the full Turf Moor match report.
Eddie Howe’s team barely scraped by Burnley, grabbing only their second Premier League away win this season.
The Magpies jumped ahead quickly with a goal from Joelinton at Turf Moor. Soon after, Yoane Wissa, in his debut Premier League start for the club, made it 2-0. Josh Laurent then scored an awesome volley, cutting the lead in half. Newcastle clung to their lead until Bruno Guimaraes scored a third goal during stoppage time.
It wasn't a pretty game for Newcastle United on that cold night in Lancashire. They needed those three points, especially after that tough loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Friday.
This win nudged Howe’s team into the top half of the Premier League, with Crystal Palace and Leeds United up next. But, let's be real, their play didn't exactly inspire confidence that they've turned things around away from home.
Eddie Howe shared his thoughts on Newcastle United’s win over Burnley. What’s the answer to their away game struggles? Howe thinks it boils down to ‘confidence.’
“I think we've been close before. I feel we're headed in the right direction when you look at how we’re playing, Howe said as he talked about his team’s showing.
“If you keep playing well, you’ll win. Manchester United is a good example. I don’t think we played badly, and we had chances to get more from the game. We didn't score, but we played well overall.
“I think we will win games because of the kind of play that we have, and that’s what happened. We're not feeling super confident right now, which is clear.
“But, I think it’s mostly a confidence thing. And the only way to fix that is to win the next game.”
Howe said this: “It was a huge win for us. I don't think it matters how we got it. We just needed to get it.
“We started really strong, knowing how crucial this game was. I can’t say enough about how the players fought through it.
“That second half was significant for us. We had to make it.
“I give the players credit for finishing the game and showing the team's character.”
Newcastle United now has a few days to chill after the win at Turf Moor before heading back to Tyneside for four home games in a row. First up is Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday. After that, they’re up against Daniel Farke’s Leeds United at St. James’ Park on Wednesday, January 7.
Then, they’ve got two cup games against Premier League teams. They’re hosting Bournemouth in the FA Cup and then playing the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
EDDIE HOWE ADDRESSES ALAN SHEARER’S COMMENTS BEFORE TONIGHT’S MAJOR KICKOFF AT BURNLEY
Alan Shearer sets a massive challenge for Newcastle United: win the next four games to ignite their 2026 Premier League campaign.
Before tonight's game against Burnley, Alan Shearer told Newcastle United what he wants to see in the next month.
Newcastle is currently 14th in the Premier League, which isn't good enough, but there's still a lot of the season left.
Even though Eddie Howe isn't in danger of losing his job, people are still worried about how the team is playing.
Another loss at Burnley on Tuesday would really increase the pressure. Alan Shearer thinks this game could be the start of something better.
Newcastle United Needs to Win Their Next Four Games
On Match of the Day, the Newcastle United legend sounded positive about the team's next few games and & thinks this could turn their season around.
He said, Yes, this could change things. A few weeks ago, everyone thought Fulham would get demoted, but they've won three straight games, and & now they're in the top half.
Newcastle needs to do that. Their next four games are against Burnley, Palace, Leeds, and Wolves. They have a good chance to win some.
These four league games are part of a busy January for Newcastle, with important Champions League matches against PSV Eindhoven and PSG and an FA Cup game against Bournemouth, as well as the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final versus Man City.
This period of games could really make or break Newcastle's season.
He should stay until the end of the season so everyone can make a better decision instead of rushing into anything. Hopefully, there will be more choices to replace him by the summer.
Where Newcastle Could Be If They Win
Let's say Newcastle wins all four of their games. It might happen, but those 12 points might just push Newcastle to just outside the top five or six in the league.
Aston Villa could get no points during that time and still be ahead of Newcastle before they play each other at the end of January. That shows how far apart Newcastle and Aston Villa are this season.
Still, getting to 35 points before the end of next month would really help Newcastle. The teams above them will probably also get points, so Newcastle might not move up the table much, but it's important for them to catch up to their rivals soon.