Lots of discussion after Newcastle United’s match against Everton on Saturday.
As you undoubtedly know, David Moyes’ team leaves with the three points.
A strange match in many ways as Everton dominated the first twenty minutes and took the lead.
Newcastle United looked awkward, a bit disorganised, confused about who should be doing what and looked wrong against this particular opposition.
Eddie Howe attempted to change this, with Nick Woltemade moving forward from midfield, Anthony Gordon to the left instead of up front, Joelinton to midfield instead of the left side of the attack.
Newcastle United looked much better and looked the better and more threatening team for the remainder of the match, although struggling to break down a disciplined opposition sitting very deep.
Newcastle United scored two well-worked equalizers, but each time gave away a very soft goal to Everton due to poor self-inflicted moments.
Everton couldn’t believe their luck.
So what went wrong and why? Apart from those individual mistakes?
I want you to look at this.
Newcastle United Premier League starts this season (out of a maximum of 28, as of March 1, 2026):
24 Sandro Tonali, Malick Thiaw
22 Bruno Guimaraes, Nick Pope
20 Anthony Gordon
19 Nick Woltemade, Dan Burn
18 Joelinton
Lewis Hall 16
15 Kieran Trippier
14 Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy
12 Sven Botman
11 Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Anthony Elanga, Lewis Miley
8Jacob Ramsey
6 Joe Willock, Aaron Ramsdale
4 Yoane warned
1 Emil Krafth, Will Osula
Due to so many games in other competitions (17 on top of the 28 PL games so far) and so many injuries, only three United outfield players have started more than twenty Premier League games.
Then you compare that with Saturday’s opposition.
Everton starts 11 against Newcastle United, Premier League starts this season (out of maximum 28, as of March 1, 2026):
28 Pickford, Tarkowski, Garner
25 O’Brien
23 Mykolenko
22 I’m going
20 Dewsbury Hall
19 Gueye
9 Beto
8 McNeil
4 Branthwaite
The substitutes used against Newcastle United on Saturday, how many Everton Premier League starts they have made this season:
23 Keane
19 Barry
6 Armstrong
Apart from the Everton players who took the field against Newcastle United on Saturday, only two others have started more than six PL matches this season, Grealish has had 18 Premier League starts this season and Tim Iroegbunam has 12.
What does this tell us?
Even if you ignore all the extra games Newcastle United have to play this season, compared to many other teams, such as Everton. The fact that Everton have been able to field more or less the same team week after week is a huge advantage.
Everton aren’t great, but they have a set way of playing and the same players play Premier League after Premier League, and they all know their jobs.
I think this is especially important at the rear. Everton on Saturday had Pickford who has started all 28 PL games, and then three of the back four who have started 23 or more PL games this season: Tarkowski, O’Brien and Mykolenko. Branthwaite was the odd man out, making only his fourth PL start so far due to injury, but he is arguably their very best player. Keane came off the bench against Newcastle and he had started 23 of their other 27 PL matches in Branthwaite’s absence.
Start comparing
I couldn’t help but think back to the 2022/2023 season.
I think this was without a doubt the best season in living memory for NUFC when it came to how the defense performed. United and Man City conceded the fewest number of PL goals that season, just 33 each.
That 2022/23 season, Trippier started all 38 PL matches, Pope 37, Schar 36, Burn 35, Botman 35.
That (2022/23 season) we also saw Bruno 32 PL starts, Willock 31, Joelinton 30, Almiron 29, Longstaff 28. While Wilson (21) and Isak (17) almost exactly shared starting duties as centre-forwards (they started one or two PL games together that season). That’s what Barry (19) and Beto (9) are doing for Everton this season. They may both be hopeless, BUT they know their role on the team and what is expected of them.
For Eddie Howe, I think it was almost an impossible mission.
All the Isak nonsense that made the summer so difficult, with five of the six new signings arriving so late that they had no pre-season at all with their new NUFC teammates. And then the worst injury record of all Premier League clubs this season, which makes the whole even more complete. If most/all of these things had happened differently, competing in four competitions would certainly have proven more manageable.
Eddie Howe suffered a hugely chaotic summer/pre-season as he was badly let down by the owners of Newcastle United.
To make matters worse, in line to fill Isak’s role, we saw Wissa suffer a long-term injury before playing, then Ramsey pick up a major injury (thanks to Longstaff!!) in his first NUFC PL start.
That set the tone for the rest of the season, not being able to properly prepare for the new season, which was always going to be a much-changed side, and then week by week, game by game, firefighting, as the season progressed.
#Everton #Newcastle #United