Newcastle United royalty in Alan Shearer was far from happy with his dearest team’s abysmal showing in the Tyne-Wear Derby on Sunday afternoon.
Indeed, after the dust had settled on the 1-0 defeat, the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer wouldn’t mince his words, branding the lifeless performance from the away side as “pathetic”, especially in such a high-stakes contest.
Shearer would also call into question Eddie Howe’s team selection, as the ex-AFC Bournemouth boss continues to skate on thin ice in the St James’ Park dug-out, with Anthony Elanga – in particular – dismissed as “awful” by the Magpies hero.
Elanga has nowhere to hide now with the former Nottingham Forest winger surely the first name to be dropped from Howe’s starting XI for Newcastle’s EFL Cup tie with Fulham tomorrow evening.
Howe’s puzzling decision to start Elanga
The Swedish attacker would be thrown into the deep end of the starting lineup unexpectedly, with this reintroduction against Newcastle’s arch nemesis going down as only his seventh start of the season.
The 23-year-old’s minutes have been extremely limited for good reason, too, with the number 20 only boasting a single assist from 16 Premier League appearances this campaign so far.
This is a major drop-off from his City Ground peak, with six goals and 11 assists collected last season, seeing him be dubbed a “special” talent by his ex-boss in Nuno Espirito Santo.
He is nowhere near those heights now, having since completed a £55m switch from Forest to Tyneside, tallying up no shots, dribbles or crosses at the Stadium of Light, making the decision to start Elanga in such a key match feel very confusing.
It’s even more of a perplexing alteration when you consider Jacob Murphy has three goal contributions himself in Premier League action this season, leading to former St James Park attacker Craig Bellamy once hailing him as an “outstanding” talent, who often shines on the big occasion.
|
Elanga & Murphy vs Sunderland |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Elanga |
Murphy |
|
Minutes played |
59 |
31 |
|
Goals scored |
0 |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
0 |
|
Touches |
27 |
24 |
|
Accurate passes |
13/19 (68%) |
11/15 (73%) |
|
Key passes |
0 |
1 |
|
Accurate dribbles |
0/2 |
1/1 |
|
Total duels won |
0/4 |
2/3 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
||
The 30-year-old also offered up a lot more verve and energy than his disappointing counterpart from his limited minutes on Sunday, with two duels won and one successful dribble mustered up, despite only being on the pitch for barely half an hour.
He isn’t the only option Howe has up his sleeve to replace the insecure number 20, with a long-term option for the future also in his plans.
Exciting youngster can replace Elanga at Newcastle
Howe could be prepared to think outside of the box when replacing the lacklustre 23-year-old, largely as he’s been consistently let down by senior individuals this season. 19-year-old Antonio Cordero is catching his eye as a potential replacement.
The Magpies’ purchase of Cordero this summer, after the expiry of his contract at Malaga, very much went under the radar, as Howe and Co jumped to the front of the queue for his services, ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But, when assessing his previous red-hot form in Spain, he could soon return to England following a loan stint at KVC Westerlo and become a surprise senior presence that makes Elanga’s first-team spot even less fixed.
A blistering seven goals and nine assists came the Spain U19 regular’s way from just 60 appearances, with his standout efforts in Andalusia nearly sealing promotion for Malaga up to La Liga.
It’s led to rave reviews, notably from former Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell, who called him an “exciting talent,” while Como scout Ben Mattinson has previously suggested that he is “like Gordon and Murphy.”
He hasn’t set the world alight out on loan in Belgium just yet, with only 89 unmemorable minutes of action coming his way, leading to zero goals or assists being picked up.
But, with Howe clearly capable of getting the very best out of his youngsters at St James’ Park, as seen in Lewis Miley scoring against Bayer Leverkusen, Cordero might soon be fast-tracked to the first team.
Elanga does still have time on his side to turn around his disappointing stint to date, but Howe’s patience will be running very thin, as more no-show performances like the one against Sunderland could ultimately cost him his employment.
As bad as Woltemade: Newcastle star who lost 100% duels could now be sold
Eddie Howe could now cash in on this Newcastle star, who was as bad as Nick Woltemade in their narrow Tyne-Wear Derby defeat.
