Nick Pope has a dislocated shoulder following his dive late in the Manchester United victory. Eddie Howe was unsure whether the goalkeeper would need surgery and the club would await a specialist opinion, but initial reports suggest he could be out for 4-5 months.
Supporters may compare it to the Jacob Murphy situation, as it is a similar injury. The winger is expected to return in the New Year. However, it is almost certain that Pope will be out even longer, as it is a much more serious injury for a goalkeeper.
During his time at Burnley, Pope suffered a similar injury and he missed a huge amount of games. On that occasion, he missed 162 days, which saw him ruled out from July to January. If a similar absence can be expected this time, we will be lucky to see him on the pitch again this season. Although, it will be hoped that medical advancements and the nature of the injury could lead to a quicker recovery time. It is still unknown at this time.
There will be a lot of focus on Martin Dubravka over the coming days. It is a big opportunity for the 34-year-old after it seemed like he had no future at the club. He has transitioned to being the number two. Since his return from a loan spell at Manchester United, he has had a couple of good showings against Liverpool and Chelsea. He is a solid Premier League goalkeeper who was one of the best shot stoppers in the league when he was playing regularly for us.
However, there is one area of huge weakness in his game and that is what happened to be one of Nick Pope’s greatest strengths. It is coming off his line in open play. Eddie Howe is able to set up and play with an aggressive press, due to Pope’s positioning and ability to come off his line to make clearances.
Supporters may remember the hairy moments against Liverpool and Wolves, but overall, Pope is very reliable off his line. He is aggressive in his positioning and often reads the game well to come off his line, stopping any dangerous counter attacks. Quite simply, Dubravka won’t do this in the same fashion.
Nick Pope averages 1.79 defensive actions outside of his penalty area, ranking him in the 93rd percentile among goalkeepers. He is one of the best and most active off his line. In Dubravka’s last season as our number one, he averaged 0.54 per ninety minutes.
It is a massive decrease. Although it may be argued that he will be encouraged to do this more often now, it isn’t a skill that comes natural to Dubravka. If our goalkeeper doesn’t play in this style, it could lead to a huge issue in transition when teams play through our press.
The challenge for Eddie Howe will be to tweak the team’s style of play so it is less reliant on aggressive sweeping from the goalkeeper. This could lead to a deeper defensive line or a less aggressive press. Either would be a concern, but they may be needed to cope with Pope’s injury.
Martin Dubravka is a reliable Premier League goalkeeper. Newcastle United fans know this. However, he isn’t the right keeper for this team. If Pope does miss the rest of the season, it will be interesting to see how Howe deals with it. Loris Karius may be a more natural stylistic fit, but he hasn’t played regular football in years.
Perhaps the search for a long term Nick Pope replacement will be fast-tracked in January.
