Steve Bruce is considering making 3 changes to the Newcastle side that drew 1-1 with Wolves on Sunday, according to The Chronicle.
One player that is certain to miss out is midfielder Sean Longstaff after his red card tackle on Ruben Neves, and Bruce is thought to be toying with the idea of re-introducing Jonjo Shelvey back into the side for the trip to West Ham – despite the fact Isaac Hayden is now back from a ban.
With The Toon seriously lacking goals, forward Dwight Gayle could also find himself in the starting line up at the London Stadium according to the Chronicle.
None of Newcastle’s strikers have hit the ground running so far this season, and Bruce could turn to the poacher-like instincts of Gayle to help solve his sides goalscoring crisis.
Florian Lejeune is nearing full fitness after his U-23 runout on Monday and could feature after a long lay-off, although it wouldn’t be surprising if Argentine Federico Fernandez kept his place in the side following a solid performance at the weekend.
The Frenchman’s return would be a big boost for the Magpies, with his defensive calmness and composure on the ball being a valuable asset to the Newcastle side.
Personally, I believe it is the system rather than the personnel which is to blame for the lack of goals, with Bruce tending to favour a highly defensive 5-4-1 formation which puts too much pressure on the front three creating something from nothing.
Playing 4 at the back and having pace out wide with Almiron in behind Joelinton in a 4-2-3-1 would be a better way to solve our attacking issues. Can’t see these changes being made, especially playing away from home, but it makes a lot more sense that putting Dwight up front on his own in that 5-4-1 system.
