Alan Pardew has something of a selection crisis on his hand, after two wins and 20 used players in the last two games. And while it would be silly to imagine that the team that starts against Liverpool tomorrow will look anything like the one that overcame the odds and Man City's team of millionaire internationals, the League Cup victory might well have raised some more questions for him. And because of the injury to Cheick Tiote in the key defensive holding role, the manager could use some of the points he has seen over the last two games to assess which candidates are the best to replace the missing Ivorian, including Mehdi Abeid, who starred in the City win with an impressive performance. It seems unlikely that Pardew will go with the same team as he did against City, since he openly expressed before the game that he had consciously weakened the first team ahead of that game, but the lack of Tiote and the subsequent form of his some of his understudies should be food for thought - as it should throughout the team. Presumably, Jack Colback is assured of his starting spot, as he's the most purely defensive player Newcastle have in that position (even if he plays better not so deep), but the other two places are far from set in stone. So who are the major candidates to replace Tiote?
Moussa Sissoko
Probably the most likely to be the fan favourite, after two barn-storming performances in the middle against Spurs and City: Sissoko is one of the stars of the season already, despite ample criticism that his all-action style doesn't lead to a great deal. This would be the right decision, as Sissoko has proved twice that he must play in the centre at the minute, but whether Pardew agrees or not probably depends on his faith in Gabriel Obertan on the right. If it's the Obertan who played against City, he will start, but if it's the one who was anonymous against Spurs in the first half, it might be a more difficult question.
Vurnon Anita
Not a fan favourite by any means, and criticised roundly for "not doing anything" or "being too light-weight" - the issue with Anita is that Newcastle don't play a system that suits his midfield style, and he's just not adaptable enough to play as the deepest man in a midfield three, as he is most regularly asked to be. Anita might get the nod by default, alongside both Sissoko AND Jack Colback (who seems an inevitable starter): but if he is continued to be used in the wrong role, he will continue to look like the wrong man for the job. He's shown too little in that role to suggest he deserves it.
Mehdi Abeid
If effort and willingness were the only factors in choosing who should start in centre-midfield against Liverpool, the Algerian should be first on the team sheet. Despite being a mostly forgotten man under Pardew, he took his chance to shine incredibly well, holding fast against Yaya Toure and providing a strong base for his team-mates to build on. Abeid might not be the most glamorous - or indeed the most likely to get the starting nod, but he is certainly talented enough to consider more consideration for the first team. He definitely needs to be concerned a first-team squad player at the very least, and based on his performance against City, that could be a popular thing among fans.
Ryan Taylor
Man City wasn't just the story of a triumph of youth - it was also the tale of the resurgence of a beloved figure at Newcastle who has endured an unthinkably bad two years at the club thanks to successive huge injuries to his knee. But you wouldn't have thought that it was the same Ryan Taylor playing against City who has been absent from the squad for two years: he was mean, lean and efficient, and he had match sharpness thanks to some tactical behind closed doors friendlies. He was obviously raring to go against City, and provided there aren't any adverse reactions to playing 90 minutes, he proved in that first half that he is more than capable of playing in a midfield three, particularly as he offers bite AND a passing range comparable to Yohan Cabaye. But then, playing him in another tough 90 minutes might be a terrible idea for his recovery. And then of course there are the questions regarding centre-forward: Papiss Cisse is back in training, but the game might come too soon for him, Fecunda Ferreyra is missing in action and while Adam Armstrong played well against City, the Premier League is an entirely different prospect. Plus, there's the issue of centre-half: Steven Taylor was only withdrawn from City as a precaution, but Paul Dummett actually played very well in his absence, and looks better at centre-back than at full-back. Who do you think should cover Tiote?
