4. We Need A Right-Back
Sooner or later, Newcastle United need to buy a new right-back who will challenge, and hopefully supersede Danny Simpson as the first choice right full-back at the club, because at the minute, the squad is painfully weak in that position. Yes we have Simpson who was an almost ever-present last season, and consequently had very impressive stats for last term, but beyond him, having to rely on utility men whose best positions lie elsewhere, like Ryan Taylor, James Perch and even possibly Steven Taylor, is just not adequate. Last night, Newcastle played centre-back James Tavernier as cover to Simpson, letting the young man stake a claim for the position in the absence of the first-team regular, but he was caught badly short. Lacking the positional awareness to cope with an old fashioned winger like Dennis Epstein, Tavernier was caught out a few times in the first half, including the goal, and he never looked confident policing an opponent out wide of him. His traditional role also meant he was sucked in to a narrower position, which gave Epstein way too much space, and though he got better in the second half, any better opponent - with no disrespect to Atromitos - would have punished the weak link a lot more. Newcastle need to invest now, bring in a second recognisable right-back - hopefully Mathieu Debuchy - to bring more competition to Danny Simpson, and hopefully more stability to the position.