5 key battles between Newcastle and Wolves

This weekend’s match between Newcastle and Wolves come on the back of contrasting results for both teams.

Benitez’s side put six past a hapless QPR team who couldn’t get close to the Magpies. Meanwhile, Walter Zenga saw Wolves go down 4-0 at home to Barnsley, subsequently cancelling his side’s scheduled day off on Wednesday to prepare for this weekend’s fixture.

There could be changes to both line-ups for this game – particularly Newcastle given Rafa’s penchant for rotation – but here are the battles that we think will be key between the two sides.

Jonjo Shelvey Newcastle United In Action

Shelvey v Coady

Wolves’ Conor Coady could have his hands full against a seemingly rejuvenated Jonjo Shelvey in the middle of the park. The defensive midfielder will no doubt be tasked with ensuring that Shelvey doesn’t get the space outside the box afforded to him by QPR at the weekend, where he popped up with two goals from a decent distance.

After an underwhelming start to his Newcastle career Shelvey appears to have found the kind of form that should come as standard for a player worth £12m. Like Kevin Nolan before him, dropping down a division may be the making of his time on Tyneside.

Click here to view the next key battle in the game between Newcastle United and Wolves.

184 thoughts on “5 key battles between Newcastle and Wolves

  1. Playing Gayle & Diame at home against average opposition, like two false nines. He was warned after the Huddersfield game when we created nowt and then went and did it again. Where’s Murphy? Get him on, experienced CF in the league. Norwich second now, need to beat them at home simple as that. Won’t be easy. Should have known this would happen after the six nil, welcome to Newcastle Rafa! Good chance to look at some of the others on Tuesday but all this tinkering didn’t seem to help Mbemba today, Rafa can’t pick Anita for three games, maybe a blessing in disguise as Anita is a bit small for the back 4 IMHO.

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  2. Annoyed – most definitely!!!.
    Surprised – not at all!!!.

    Life as a toon fan summed up in a week.

    Serious question – is Rafa pissing round with the starting 11 too much?.
    Yes there will need to be squad rotation, but do we need to be making 3-4 changes week in week out?.
    Or is that an excuse – were the players just gash today and it shouldn’t matter who plays?.

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  3. Mbemba has always been pretty good, not sure what’s gone on today. Apparently quite a few were poor today.

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  4. Think it shows how much we take Mbemba for granted, to be honest. Remember Titus Bramble & Boumsong? 🙂 Sels definitely has a clanger in him though, no way should he replace a fit Elliot. Bizarre signing if it’s true he cost £6,000,000.

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  5. can we now put to bed to cocky ‘walk it’ comments.
    I was never for getting acarried away as I know this league. hopefully a small blip but its a very long season in the championship

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  6. I actually thought Darlow looked okay after a run of 3/4 games. They should have just signed a free agent for one season to cover the two injuries. Having four senior ‘keepers is a waste of money.

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  7. kimtoon:
    there were 5 changes to the Wolves team that lost midweek

    Kim – yeah but that’s coz they lost 4-0. You’d expect changes – we won 0-6 so why did we change a winning side?!.

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  8. Just in from match. How could they be so awful and lethargic. No player except Anita deserved 5 or above. Anita of course got a red but at least he was trying. Nobody seemed able to trap a simple ball. Perez very poor and totally at fault for second goal. Passes were poor – telegraphed and slow. Too many aimless long balls. Players waited for the ball instead of going to meet it which is what the Wolves players did all the time. And why can’t Lascelles make simple forward passes. Nearly all the time he makes sideways passes to Dummet and we all know how good he is going forward. Shelvey for England? He’d be lucky to make Gateshead’s bench on this performance. Did he make an accurate pass? Perhaps it was one of those days when everyone was poor. Rant over.

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  9. Groucho, I’m with you mate, all the players you mention are too inconsistent and really blow hot and cold…. apart from Anita who seems to be taking things too seriously !

    At least the Wolves fans had a canny day out, I bet they were ripping it out of us…

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  10. We will miss neets at RB, I don’t care what anyone says, he’s one of our better players this season. Gutted for the little guy. 🙁

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  11. What a kick in the knackers! 😡
    Wasnt there but by all accounts wolves worked harder.
    How does that happen? I’m sure Rafa rollocked them at half time but there was no response.
    Got to move onto the next game and hope this is just a blip.

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  12. Munich Mag
    I didn’t but listened to it, they said he nearly chested the ball into his own net. May as well sign his twin brother Joe ‘flappy’ Hart. 🙂

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  13. Troy Stavers:
    What a kick in the knackers!
    Wasnt there but by all accounts wolves worked harder.
    How does that happen?I’m sure Rafa rollocked them at half time but there was no response.
    Got to move onto the next game and hope this is just a blip.

    The players got complacent due to the fans, chronicle etc living in our fish bowl, lapping up our recent wins. We get too carried away after a few games.
    1 game at a time …

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  14. Everyone is desperate to beat us. The players can’t be allowed to forget that. Rafa even said he was trying to guard against complacency. If we disrespect Burton & Blackburn they will beat us also. Bloody mackems better lose at Spuds tomorrow. 👿

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  15. There’s some empty seats at that Birmingham game like. 😮 our game was a sell out apparently, I feel sorry for those extra thousands who were tricked by Tuesday night. 😆

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  16. Groucho – do you think coz we were at home they thought Wolves would just come and lie down for us or park the bus?.

    I say it time and again with us though – I can forgive a defeat but a lack of effort is unforgivable IMO

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  17. Huddersfield are flying. No blips and not many big players.

    I can see Norwich getting stronger.

    I bet rafa is fuming

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  18. why play Gayle if all your going to do is pump long balls up to him which they did all they in the first half change players by all means if it improves the team but to go back to pumping long balls defeats me,just a blip i hope,imo Shelvey was sussed if players hussle him he loses the plot and the flow of the game

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  19. Sharpy. Wolves certainly didn’t park the bus. There was only one side wanted the ball and that wasn’t us. Even if we were complacent the first half should have shaken us out of it. With ten minutes to go and two down we showed no urgency. I would like to be able to see something to cheer me up in the performance today but apart from Anita, who presumably will miss three games, I can’t. Maybe we should bring Gouffran back. At least he isn’t knocked off the ball as easy as Perez, who when he loses the ball just gives up. More effort needed by all for sure.

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  20. Tell you what like, for a club with the resources and strength of depth of NUFC today was an absolutely shocking defeat. Everyone needs a rocket up the ars* after that showing, talk about letting the show down. Rafa can improve average players with tactics and nous, but average players are just that…average, Perez, Lascalles, Shelvey, all average players imo.. Zenga certainly got one over on Rafa today !!

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  21. Just watched the highlights, and it seems as if Mbemba and especially Lascalles and our back 4 were ALL over the shop. Lascalles standing off, dropping deep, looks great if no one is on his case, but run at him and you’ll destroy him…

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  22. Just got in..what a load of sh!!e this is to come home to! I thought Villa and Norwich would be our bringing down to earth, seems that day has been brought forward by a week.

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  23. One loss is meaningless. It’s the longer trends that matter. As long as we get back on the horse and win a few everyone will calm down again. It sounds like we got sucked into a heavy foul game. Lots of yellows and Anita sent off. Wolves had a strategy and it worked. Not a big deal. Rafa will learn from it and move on.

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  24. Out of curiosity why wasn’t Murphy at least on the bench? Don’t understand what’s going on there. And what has happened to Gamez? Injured I suppose. What a disappointment he’s been.

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  25. The side was poor today as I understand it. It’s still early days with Rafa and so many new players. By early November I think we’ll be able to see what our real chances are of being promoted. If it’s a tight race I would expect Rafa to be very busy in January. But I still think we have the players we need to win the division. Let’s see if that’s true though.

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  26. But why isn’t he even on the bench Kimtoon lass? Is he injured? And is Murphy injured? These are seasoned pros who it would be good to have available. I’ve never been convinced by Dummett and Anita really is a stand-in RB. He usually plays well there but to progress we need better. Up front is still a puzzle as well. I can’t make out whether or not Mitro and Gayle will be good enough over the long run.

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  27. To be fair, we have six games where we are playing Brighton, Derby (a), QPR (a), Wolves, Villa(a) and Norwich. I’d take four wins and maybe a draw out of that lot, we already have three. If we’d beaten Fulham we’d be right on course. After Norwich we have Rotherham, Brentford, Barnsley, Ipswich, Preston & Cardiff. We will need to go on another 5 game run probably if we’re gonna be top two. 😕

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  28. Maybe the new contract for Perez was a mistake? Has money gone to his head already? He has talent but his lack of size and strength are a real concern.

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  29. I thought we needed to be 6W 2D 2L in the first 10 games. Well we now have 3 losses in the first 8. Not so good but if we win the next two it’s 21 points and not a problem. If we slip into a losing spell it’s a different story.

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  30. Let’s see what Rafa actually does. Perez should be out though. Anita will be out. Shelvey out? Not sure. Darlow makes sense to me as well. Possibly Clark or Hanley in for size at the back over Mbemba?

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  31. G2, Perez like Shelvey isn’t good enough mate. Both lack pace, strength and general all round condition for the Premier League…

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  32. I’ve been thinking that for a while with Perez MM mate. He just isn’t big enough or strong enough. Shelvey is a real puzzler though. Sometimes shows real talent and then disappears. It sounds like the jury is out on Diame as well. We need a dominant DMF and AMF and possibly we have neither?

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  33. If we play a diamond up front with Mitro at the top, Gouffy on one wing, Ritchie on the other and Gayle or Perez in behind that might work. Then play Diame and Shelvey behind the diamond and four at the back. Still unclear who are our two best CB’s.

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  34. Never thought we would lose 3 of our first 8 but I think everyone probably underestimated Huddersfield for one. Will they come back to the pack?

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  35. We’re still not clear on what makes a good starting 11. I’m not sure Rafa knows either. We go from winning 6-0 away to losing 2-0 at home. It’s obvious we aren’t a consistent team yet. 🙁

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  36. G2, I’m really not sure we can play both Perez and Gayle at the same time, not sure they fit. I would much prefer Mitro with one or the other myself. Not sold yet on Sels either, but I guess it’s early days still.

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  37. So many players to fit in Kimtoon lass. I wish I was more convinced by Perez and Mitro. We were looking for big things from them.

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  38. Perez is a sidekick type player who drifts in and out of form. His best games have been when he played alongside Mitrovic, I wouldn’t play him on his own. Shelvey, if he was quicker and consistent enough would have replaced Stevie G at Liverpool. He’s a bit of an enigma and I think could end up a cult hero type player. He has by far the best range of passing at the club but he is slow and clumbsy. Neither are top, top players but are probably the best we can get as top players like Townsend will want Premier League football.

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  39. Reality check for the lads and the fans today. The game does have a way of stopping you getting ahead of yourself.

    The reality is that we just didn’t play well. It happens and there will be more games like this I’m sure. We’ve had a tough run of games since Brighton and we’ve taken 9 points from them so far. Next two are important and I reckon this result has come right in the nick of time. Villa and Norwich next.

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  40. Groucho:
    Just read Lee Ryder’s player ratings. Must have been at a different match to the rest of us.

    he knows as much about football as the church clock,its about time the clock stopped

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  41. Icedog
    True, but you shouldn’t mock the afflicted. Sunderland bottom of the table today would be a welcome reprieve. Niall Quincy is on as well with his less-than-smug face. 🙂

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  42. DJG:
    Icedog
    True, but you shouldn’tmock the afflicted.Sunderland bottom of the table today would be a welcome reprieve. Niall Quincy is on as well with his less-than-smug face.

    aye true,but truth hurts 😆

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  43. DJG:
    Stoke two down from set pieces,both headers.Oh dear Sparky,what have you done to Stoke?

    He must be getting sacked soon. They have invested heavily and are sinking like a lead balloon. Questions must surely have to be asked about Bilic too. And Mourinho lol.

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  44. I reckon Ryder got his job at the Ronnie by dating the editors daughter or something because he’s not exactly an award winning, investigative journalist is he? Not bad work if you can get it though, go to every toon game home and away, then write 300 words about it and give a score, 1 to 10. 😛

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  45. ******, four nil Palace, Townshend has assisted and scored most of them. Gutted we lost the lad to Palace but shows how far we’ve fallen.

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  46. Shamrock
    I think he’s trying to gradually change them from a big, physical, set piece side, that Pulis had, into more of a stylish and skillful side. Problem is though, they couldn’t even defend simple set pieces today, which was bread and butter for Pulis. Maybe if it wasn’t broken they shouldn’t have tried to change it? The Premier League is full of teams that can outplay then on the deck at the end of the day, so maybe they should have kept their identity as the big physical team. I have a feeling we’ll see them next season unless our lot pull their fingers out. 🙂

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  47. Still 0-0 but they’re getting absolutely battered with nine players back parking the bus. This week Sissoko next week Townsend. Huh huh. 🙂

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  48. Bloody hell, they’re hanging on for dear life here. I wish Spuds would hurry up and stick the spud in the net. Hate to admit but Pickford looks a decent keeper and might keep them in games. He’s better than Lurch & Manone anyway.

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  49. I’ve changed my outlook from a few years ago, when I wanted to see all the North East teams do well. I really hope they get relegated now. 😈 probably because of the airplane fly past and the smug way their fans act.

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  50. Good to see Pardew proving his critics wrong again. It’s comedy gold reading the barrage of abuse he gets when he’s on a losing streak and the self serving gratification remarks about how they knew he was rubbish along, only for him to stick it right up you all. 😀

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  51. I’m still really pissed off about yesterday like.
    I honestly thought that the one thing Rafa would guarantee would be a more consistent intensity to our play – but it would seem not.

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  52. Troy Stavers:
    Good to see Pardew proving his critics wrong again.It’s comedy gold reading the barrage of abuse he getswhen he’s on a losing streak and the self serving gratification remarks about how they knew he was rubbish along, only for him to stick it right up you all.

    Pardew?? He used to have something to do with the Toon ages ago… History mate… This is a Toon blog, not a Palace blog… ??

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  53. Just watched an abysmal match between Sunderland and Spurs. Sunderland would struggle in the MLS. I think they’ll go down two divisions in the next two seasons. Moyes had better walk away quickly. There is a bad stench around that club.

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