Joelinton will be a key part of Newcastle United’s left side that tries to stop Mohamed Salah.
Newcastle United face the difficult task of nullifying Mohamed Salah in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley.Despite losing 2-0 to the Reds at Anfield late last month, Lewis Hall was heavily praised his for defensive display against the Egyptian, who has found the net 32 times already this campaign.
But the key blow for Newcastle is they won’t have Hall available this weekend, with the left-back ruled out for the duration of the campaign after suffering foot injury earlier this week.
And in a double whammy to United, they will also be without Anthony Gordon due to suspension. Both Hall and Gordon have been first-choice picks on the left-hand side this term.
Joelinton is a ‘weapon’ for Newcastle United
Instead, it is Tino Livramento who is expected to start at left-back, with Harvey Barnes taking Gordon’s place. And another player who will be key to the way the left side functions is Joelinton.
The Brazilian missed the recent game against Liverpool following a month out with a knee issue. And Newcastle boss Eddie Howe agrees the midfielder has a vital role to play at Wembley, defensively as well as offensively.
“Yeah, I’ve been really pleased with his return actually, the two games that he’s played,” Howe told NewcastleWorld. “I thought the Brighton game he did really well from a physical perspective. He looked to himself, which was a big challenge after the type of injury that he had and the length of time he’d been out.
“He then backed that up against West Ham with 90 minutes, full of action, full of Joelinton’s big asset, covering ground, tackling, disrupting play. Of course, he’s got a lot of quality as well with the ball.
“We miss him when he’s not there. I think we miss his strength. Of course, he’s a weapon for us in lots of different ways, potentially defensively on that side.
“But of course, the other way as well, and he’s such an important player for us attacking. He can pop up with a goal when needed, so hopefully he plays a big game.”
Keeping Mohamed Salah quiet
Salah had a big say on the 3-3 draw at St James’ Park in December, with the 32-year-old netting a brace. He wasn’t as effective in last month’s meeting at Anfield but still popped up with an assist.
Asked about stopping Salah, Howe said: “Stopping him is a different train of thought totally, so I think we will have our plan. We always do have a plan against different opponents, executing that to the best of our ability will be the key and it’s always about the team,
“So whenever there’s an outstanding individual, and Liverpool have a few in different positions, attacking player-wise, and I think it’s always about the team and making sure our structures are good, not about any individuals.”
