Newcastle United news: Now or never for Harvey Barnes after Anthony Gordon red card
With Anthony Gordon set to miss out on the Carabao Cup final after a red card in the FA Cup at the weekend, forgotten man Harvey Barnes has a perfect chance to resurrect his Newcastle career.
No appeal was made regarding Gordon’s sending off in the 2-1 defeat to Brighton and the starlet will miss the next three matches for Newcastle as a consequence, including that upcoming cup final.
Eddie Howe’s side meet Liverpool at Wembley in two weeks’ time for a shot at glory.
Sports News Blitz writer Joseph Hannen analyses what Barnes can offer in Gordon’s absence.
Barnes yet to earn his place
You would think that Barnes is the obvious replacement for Gordon, but that is not necessarily the case.
The Magpies' hugely successful 2022-23 campaign had Joelinton on the left wing and Joe Willock in the left of midfield as Newcastle landed Champions League football.
A repeat of that system cannot be ruled out, especially considering the key defensive support Joelinton provides.
Indeed, Newcastle had the joint-best defensive record that season, with only 33 goals conceded, thanks partly to Joelinton’s efforts.
Barnes will, however, have his say on the pitch on Monday night when Newcastle travel to West Ham for their last game before the Carabao Cup final.
The 27-year-old winger started on the right last Sunday and looked lively in the early stages before fading out as the game wore on.
It has been an inconsistent year and a half on Tyneside for Barnes, who joined the Toon Army in the summer of 2023 for £40m.
He has recorded five goals this campaign so far, to be fair, and a strong performance against the Hammers would all but confirm a starting berth at Wembley.
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What the stats tell us
Barnes’ data, compared to all wingers across Europe’s top five leagues, is very impressive from a purely offensive perspective but incredibly poor in and out of possession.
For example, Barnes ranks in the 97th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.57), 89th for expected assists per 90 (0.33), and has recorded 2.2 passes per 90 into the penalty area.
The stats prove his expertise in and around the box, best shown off earlier in the season away at Wolves when he curled in a winning goal from over 20 yards out.
Barnes, remember, enjoyed a 13-goal Premier League campaign with Leicester in 2022-23 to catch the eye of Newcastle, although his goals were not enough to ensure the Foxes’ survival.
In comparison to Gordon, Barnes triumphs in progressive carries per 90, progressive passes per 90, and goal involvements per 90.
He also takes more shots and has a superior shots-to-goals ratio, further proving his more clinical nature.
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Problems in possession
A key issue which separates the two Newcastle wingers is the effort out of possession and effectiveness with the ball.
Barnes finds himself in the 24th percentile for attempted passes per 90 (30.83), 15th for passes into the final third (1.14), and attempts only 0.07 through balls per 90.
The problem is that there are so many more damning statistics that show off his lack of threat when he is not in dangerous positions.
He has always struggled to get involved in games, unlike Gordon who has the ability to receive and then play the ball in much deeper and risker positions.
Out of possession, it is a similar story: Barnes is in the first percentile – the worst possible – for dribblers challenged and passes blocked, revealing him to be completely ineffective.
In the end, Newcastle have scored 1.71 goals per 90 and allowed 1.28 goals per 90 when Gordon is on the pitch, a noticeably superior record to the 1.41 goals netted per 90 and 1.52 goals allowed per 90 when Barnes is on the field.
Summary
As a Newcastle fan, I want to see Barnes in the starting line-up for both games next week. There really is no bigger opportunity to prove himself.
If Barnes’ qualities are utilised effectively, he could cause Trent Alexander-Arnold all types of problems in the Carabao Cup final.
Over the years, many wingers have targeted the full-back’s frailties, and the cup final is a perfect opportunity to do just that.
Barnes also has previous cup-winning exploits to his name as he helped Leicester win the FA Cup in 2021, an experience that is admittedly severely lacking on Tyneside.
Ultimately, if Barnes fails to perform in these next few games, I can see the winger being moved on within the next year, despite the love Eddie Howe has for him.
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