Newcastle United may have finished the 2023-24 campaign in good form, only losing 2 out of the final 10 games of the Premier League season but the problems encountered in the middle months were enough to ensure the Magpies would not be competing in a European competition this year.
One of the major problems that Newcastle faced was down the right-hand side, with the declining form of vice-captain Kieran Trippier and the stagnation of progress from Miguel Almiron and Sean Longstaff, while injuries to Jacob Murphy and Lewis Miley, meant that the right-side of the Newcastle team was a major source of concern for Eddie Howe.
As a result, opposition teams targeted the Toon's right-hand side very effectively, and despite the pleasing progression of Tino Livramento, the right side remains a major problem, with the Magpies looking to the transfer market to ensure similar scenarios will not be repeated this season.
This piece will be analysing the problems that Newcastle faced, looking ahead to the future and how the toon should use the transfer market to ensure positive progress this season, which should ensure the safe passage of the Magpies back into European competition for the 2025-26 season.
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The Right-Back Dilemma
Ever since England full-back Kieran Trippier arrived on Tyneside in January 2022, he has been the most reliable player in the team.
Despite his foot injury shortly after arriving from Spanish giants, Atletico Madrid, Tripper played all 38 games in the Premier League, assisting seven goals, despite creating 24 big chances, while also helping defensively, winning 58.3% of his aerial duels, and completing 1.9 tackles per game.
He was elected into the BBC Sport Premier League team of the season, having helped the toon into the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
However, his form last term dropped off massively, not helped by two separate injuries, a groin strain over the New Year period, and a calf injury that caused him to miss 10 games, only returning on the penultimate game of the season.
His form when fit was just as concerning however, with the dip starting in early December, where he was directly responsible for two goals, one from Dwight McNeil, and the other from Abdoulaye Doucouré as Newcastle started to hit a rocky patch in the season, losing 3-0 away at Everton.
From there, his form never really recovered, being dribbled past 3 times in the Magpies next game, away at Tottenham, where his opposing winger, Heung-Min Son, registered a goal and two assists.
It got worse before it got better for the ex-Manchester City player as a progression into the Carabao Cup semi-finals was on the cards for the Toon before the 33-year-old's sloppy header allowed Chelsea player Mykhailo Mudryk to slot past Martin Dubravka, sending the game to a penalty shoot-out before Trippier had his penalty saved by Djordje Petrovic as Newcastle were knocked out of the tournament.
Trippier's form never really picked up from then, despite assisting in three games in a row, over the end of January and the beginning of February. By the end of the season, despite creating fewer big chances, at only 13, he managed to pick up ten assists, perhaps signifying a more clinical approach from the Magpies last term.
However, the increase in assists covers up the defensive deterioration from Trippier, as he lost possession on average, 19.4 times a game, and was dribbled past 1.4 times a game on average, including the period around December, where he was dribbled past 21 times in just nine games, which is more than Tino Livramento's entire season combined.
Livramento has only spent one season in the Northeast, but his defensive capabilities have shone throughout the season. The Chelsea academy player of the year in 2021, joined from Southampton before the 23-24 season for an initial £32 million but played understudy to mentor Trippier for the first section of the season.
However, after left-back Dan Burn suffered a spinal injury in the 1-0 Premier League victory in early November over Arsenal, Livramento was given his chance, albeit in a more unfamiliar position at left-back, and excelled before moving over to the right, during Trippier's spell on the sidelines.
While Livramento is excellent defensively, as shown by the Englishman being dribbled past on only ten occasions in the Premier League this season, as well as having over 60% success rates on aerial and ground duels, his attacking output is limited, making him feel like the 'safe option' for Howe's side.
Livramento registered zero assists in the league last season, while only creating one big chance, while he only completed 19.2% of his crosses successfully, well down on Trippier's 32.5%. However, Livramento's ball retention is much better than most, only losing the ball six times a game in the league last season. Compared with leading right-backs from last season, such as Ben White (10.8), Kyle Walker (10.2) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (20.3), the Newcastle man is vastly superior.
The defensive results of the Magpies massively improved once Livramento moved to right-back. In his final seven games of the season, Newcastle registered two clean sheets in the league and only conceded nine.
If you compare that with the previous seven league games, the Toon conceded 20, registering no clean sheets. In fact, the last Newcastle clean sheet in the league before the 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, on March 3rd, was also a 3-0 win, over Fulham, in which Livramento started at right-back ahead of the suspended Trippier. That was in mid-December.
Despite Trippier's vastly superior attacking stats, Newcastle's goalscoring numbers increased over the same final seven games of Livramento's season, scoring 23 times, in comparison with the seven games previous, where the Magpies found the net on 16 occasions.
Both have had their injury problems over the last few seasons, adding to Howe's worries. After only playing five games for the club, Trippier broke his foot, causing him to miss just under three months of the 2021-22 season. In the same season, Livramento suffered a full ACL tear, leaving him out of action for over a year, before making two belated appearances at the end of the 22-23 season.
Both played less than 30 games last season, but after a full summer break for Livramento, where he has been pictured working hard with Joe Willock, also attempting to make a return from injury, in Greece, the 21-year-old will be hoping to break into the team over Trippier, whose pre-season preparations will be shortened due to his involvement in Euro 2024, where he spent the tournament in an unfamiliar left-back role, before being dropped for Luke Shaw ahead of the final.
Overall, Eddie Howe has a decision to make. While keeping a potentially unfit Trippier in the team over Livramento, may lead to increased attacking output down the right side, defensive stability may be sacrificed, as the 33-year-old will frequently overlap and cross from the byline.
Trippier has been in charge of set-pieces since he arrived, but with suitable takers such as Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon, and Lewis Hall, the time might be now for Livramento, where the defence would likely be more stable, even if there is less adventure down the right-side with the 21-year-old often picking the safe pass, rather than a risk-taking option.
The right side of the defence is not the only problem down the right for Howe, however, as the right-sided forward position is reportedly a crucial target for new sporting director Paul Mitchell.
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The lack of right-wingers
The right side of attack was also an area of concern for Eddie Howe after a poor season from Miguel Almiron, and inconsistencies from Jacob Murphy. Now feels like the right time therefore to upgrade the position, however, PSR rules have meant that it is hard for Newcastle to find the perfect player for an achievable price.
Almiron, now 30, arrived at Newcastle in 2018, from Major League Soccer side Atlanta United. He entered last season as the first-choice right-winger, but as the season progressed, a combination of poor form, injury concerns and changes in the system meant his place was lost, starting none of the final five league games, with his last start a 3-2 loss against Chelsea, mid-way through March.
The Paraguayan is a key reminder of why it is important not to overanalyse and base performance purely on data. Almiron appears similar to Livramento. His attacking output is very limited with only three goals and one assist in 33 games in the Premier League last season.
However, he loses possession, very rarely, only on an average of 6.6 times per game. Compare that with the top right-wingers in the league, and these are standout numbers, with Mohamed Salah (14.6), Bukayo Saka (15.3) and Bernardo Silva (11.2) all much looser in possession.
However, this also portrays a lack of ambition when driving forward, with Almiron often preferring to play a sideways or backwards pass, rather than progressing with the ball. His one-footed nature forces the right-winger to cut inside frequently, as his left foot dictates the way his game is played.
In the 2022-23 season, the Toon had great success from Almiron. He would either cut inside and shoot on his left foot, or he would wait for the overlap where Trippier would burst down the line before unleashing a cross into the box. However, the last particular tactic was found out by opposing teams, who now try to force Almiron down the line, onto his unfavoured right foot.
Furthermore, the inconsistent form of Trippier has meant that often Almiron has found himself isolated, and as a result losing the ball, with an estimation that he attempts only 0.7 dribbles a game. The phased introduction of Livramento has also not helped, with the 21-year-old more abt with inverting from his right-sided position, similar to the Paraguayan, meaning that the width is lost, and the pitch becomes congested, not allowing midfield playmakers, such as Bruno Guimaraes to perform at their highest levels.
Jacob Murphy, on the other hand, is a much more traditional winger, in some senses. Murphy joined the club from Norwich in July 2017, before heading out on loan to both West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday. Under Howe, the 29-year-old has seen increased opportunities, culminating in the Englishman making his 150th Premier League appearance, on the final day of the 23-24 season.
Murphy is right-footed and worked very well in combination with Livramento towards the end of the last campaign. He completed seven assists, created 10 big chances, and was a regular starter past Christmas, after playing a much more sporadic part in the first part of the season.
Murphy is a very different winger to Almiron. While the Paraguayan will cut inside and play as an inverted winger, Murphy will keep the width and look to drive towards the byeline, before aiming to put a cross into the box. This shows as he attempts 0.7 more crosses a game than his right-wing competitor, but the accuracy can vary, as only 22.1% of his crosses were accurate in the 23/24 campaign.
Murphy works much better with Livramento than he does with Trippier. As mentioned before Livramento will cut inside with the ball more frequently, and as Murphy provides the width, the attack becomes a lot more balanced. Whereas, with Trippier, both will look to attack the line, leaving gaps in the inside right channels.
In truth, while Murphy is adored as a local player, being a lifelong Newcastle fan and with his family coming from different areas across the North-East, and Almiron helping to attract audiences from South America to Tyneside, neither is the correct player to help Newcastle drive forward back into the elite level football that the toon fans are craving for.
It is likely that Murphy will be kept as a fringe player, with Almiron attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League, looking likely to leave in the next year. Both have time to run on their contracts, but as the club continues to grow, their playing time will likely decrease.
It has been widely reported that new sporting director Mitchell, alongside Howe has made the right-wing position a priority target, but with only a few weeks until the new season starts, there is a high chance that either player could start at right-wing, in the opening game of the season, at home to Southampton.
Michael Olise, prior to his move to Bayern Munich, was shortlisted by the Newcastle recruitment team, while Pedro Neto, Federico Chiesa and Jarred Bowen have been reportedly scouted by members of the scouting team at the Magpies. It is important that the new player has enough time to settle at the club, before the start of the season, but that is looking increasingly unlikely as the days progress.
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Overall Thoughts
The right side of Newcastle's team remains a worry at this current stage for fans and staff. Opposition teams have worked out regular patterns and now are much more developed in preventing the threat that it holds. In order for the Magpies to progress, a high-ability right-winger is required, who is able to either invert or stay wide, depending on the situation.
In defence, it is expected that this is Trippier's final season as a mainstay in the Newcastle team. Fans should expect to see Livramento become a key player in years to come, but with a shortened pre-season due to England commitments, it may well be the 21-year-old who starts the season on the right side of defence.
The Livramento-Murphy partnership worked well towards the end of last season, and if no winger is brought in before the new season, that is likely the way Howe will start the season.
