This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
Newcastle succumbed to yet another lacklustre defeat on Saturday but it was one that could have been avoided had Steve Bruce acted differently with his substitutions.
Off the bench
Rather unsurprisingly, the Magpies boss operated in a similar style which led to a 1-0 victory away at Tottenham a few weeks ago, and it was working for the majority of the match.
Whilst his side offered next to nothing going forward – with no shots on target in the entire match – they did reduce Chelsea’s opportunities, and that must be admired since the Blues had scored 18 goals in eight league games prior to kick-off.
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However, despite the fact things were level Bruce decided to switch things up, and showed some adventure by bringing on Andy Carroll for Miguel Almiron, but it was the wrong choice to make, and unfathomable given the position they were in.
It played a part in Chelsea breaking the deadlock and once that happened, there was no way back to Newcastle, who now find themselves in the bottom three with two wins from nine in the Premier League.
Lack of pace and energy
The exit of the Paraguay international meant Newcastle lost an edge up front, both on and off the ball, and that proved crucial in a defensive aspect.
Almiron worked tirelessly all game in closing down space and defending from the front, with the third most tackles of any player on his team, and Bruce’s side couldn’t replicate the work he did with two target men up-front in Joelinton and Carroll.
They were ultimately punished when Callum Hudson-Odoi found Marcos Alonso in too much space on the left-hand side – space which Almiron likely would have covered should he have been on the pitch, as Allan Saint-Maximin instead lacked the awareness to stop the Spaniard from scoring.
If Bruce was desperate for fresh legs, a like-for-like swap with Carroll replacing Joelinton would have been ideal, as the Brazilian once again struggled, leading to fan criticism of him and Bruce’s decision.
