The Newcastle move dividing opinion – Why did Eddie Howe recall Nick Pope

There is going to be a lot of debate about the starting eleven over the coming weeks, with the date at Wembley on the horizon.

Every decision made by Eddie Howe will be scrutinised and the latest one to come under the microscope is the recall for Nick Pope. The goalkeeper has yet to find his best form since his shoulder injury and many believe he doesn’t have the belief in his body that he used to.

It takes a while for any player to find their rhythm after injury and for a goalkeeper that has injured his shoulder, there is always going to be some anxiety when returning to play. Pope is now 32 and he will not want to spend another long period on the sidelines. However, a growing section of the support will now say that he should be worried about his place in the team rather than his fitness.

Martin Dubravka did a good job as a stand in, earning a new contract in the process. Many have sympathy with him as they think it was the wrong decision to bring Pope back for the game against Nottingham Forest. His poor positioning for Callum Hudson-Odoi’s goal last weekend did little for Pope to re-assert his dominance. Meanwhile, many believe he should have done better for the first Liverpool goal during the week.

Eddie Howe has spoken about the decision and reaffirmed his belief that Pope is one of the best shot stoppers in the league. Although he isn’t showing that right now, his manager still believes he possesses that level and he is allowing his number one to build his confidence before the Carabao Cup final.

Calls on social media for the recall of Martin Dubravka are likely to fall on deaf ears. The goalkeeper position isn’t one that you want to chop and change. Now that Pope has been reinstated, it will take a lot for Howe to make another change. There probably aren’t enough games for Pope to force him to make that decision.

There is some merit to say that Dubravka is more comfortable with the ball with his feet, but he isn’t as active off his line. Pope is probably a better distributor with his throwing, as was on display against Nottingham Forest. As shot stoppers, there isn’t a lot between them based on this season. Dubravka didn’t have a lot to do during his spell in the team and we saw last season, that he remains unreliable.

The scrutiny will be on Pope now. He needs to prove why Howe has reinstated him. If he manages to find the form he displayed before his shoulder injury, there won’t be conversation to be had. However, until he shows the calmness in his performance, the discussion will continue.