da heads bet： One of the most interesting fixtures of the Premier League weekend should come when Newcastle United host West Ham United at St James’ Park on Saturday.
da 888casino： Both sides have lost their first two games of the season, with the newly-promoted Magpies being beaten 2-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at home on the opening day before losing 1-0 to fellow Premier League new boys Huddersfield Town last weekend, meaning they are yet to find the net.
Meanwhile, Slaven Bilic’s men were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester United before they would have considered themselves unlucky to lose out 3-2 to Southampton at St Mary’s last weekend, as Charlie Austin’s last-gasp penalty kick won it for the hosts after the Irons had played the majority of the match with 10 men following Marko Arnautovic’s first-half dismissal.
In order to secure their first points and win of the campaign over the Irons, Rafa Benitez must find answers to these three key questions…
How can they improve in the final third?
While the opening day fixture at home to Tottenham was always going to be a difficult one – especially with 10 men when Jonjo Shelvey was sent off for stamping on Dele Alli just after half-time – Newcastle were equally disappointing in the final third against fellow newly-promoted side Huddersfield Town last weekend.
The Terriers picked up all three points despite only having seven shots at goal compared to the Magpies’ 13, and it was the visitors’ wastefulness in attacking areas that once again saw them fail to get on the score-sheet.
Aside from a Matt Ritchie effort and a weak Joselu shot, Jonas Lossl had little to do in the Huddersfield goal and Benitez must work out how he is going to help his side find the net when they host West Ham at St James’ Park on Saturday.
The Spaniard may well consider starting Joselu considering the positive impact he had when he came on as a substitute at the John Smith’s Stadium, while Jacob Murphy is another that could be in line for a start on the wing.
What can they learn from Southampton?
While Manchester United were outstanding in their 4-0 win against West Ham on the opening day of the season, Benitez can certainly learn some lessons from Southampton’s 3-2 success against the Irons last weekend.
The central defensive pairing of Angelo Ogbonna and Jose Fonte struggled at times, with the latter beaten too easily for Manolo Gabbiadini’s opener before he then clumsily fouled Steven Davis in the penalty area for Saints’ second goal.
Gabbiadini’s goal came from a simple through ball down the channel and Benitez may feel that his side can supply Dwight Gayle in a similar way considering he would be able to beat Fonte and Ogbonna for pace if he can time his runs well.
With Fonte and Zabaleta both giving away penalties in clumsy fashion, the Spaniard may feel that his team can take advantage of that vulnerability and finally get the goals they need and he will be well aware that Southampton hadn’t scored in their previous six Premier League home games prior to the visit of Slaven Bilic’s team.
How can they be less shaky at the back?
Injuries to Florian Lejeune and Paul Dummett in the opening game against Tottenham have severely weakened the Newcastle defence at this early stage of the campaign, and it showed in the defeat against Huddersfield last weekend.
Jamaal Lascelles and Chancel Mbemba replaced the duo in the starting line-up but the new-look backline looked shaky throughout, and the centre-backs and central midfielders in particular should have done better with the goal when it was far too easy for Aaron Mooy to play a one-two before curling a shot into the far corner.
Benitez needs to make sure that his side doesn’t lose any cheap goals when West Ham visit St James’ Park considering their struggles at the other end of the pitch right now, and the backline will have to keep a particularly close eye on Javier Hernandez after his brace against Southampton last weekend.
Whether the Spanish boss makes changes to his personnel of formation remains to be seen, but he may need to provide the centre-back partnership with more protection in the middle of the park.
Do you agree, Newcastle fans? Let us know below.