‘Send shivers down my spine’ – Athletic journalists nervous of Newcastle ahead of Everton tie
The Athletic’s Everton correspondent Patrick Boyland has claimed Newcastle “send shivers” down his spine ahead of the clash at Goodison Park on Saturday.
The Toffees welcome Steve Bruce’s struggling side in the early kick-off, with both sides desperate for three points for different reasons.
Speaking on the Gwlad Tidings podcast, Boyland and follow Athletic journalist Greg O’Keeffe agreed that the Magpies will be no pushovers for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
“I guess if he’s still got the dressing room, they could be really fighting for everything on Saturday,” said O’Keeffe.
Boyland added: “Everton need to be the aggressors, show more creativity, more depth to their attacking play.
“Everton have struggled in games like this. I think they’re better suited, even with James [Rodriguez] in the team, at just sitting back and soaking up pressure and then striking from a cross or a set-piece.
“Newcastle send shivers down my spine a bit. Last season, despite Everton being the better team for 90 plus minutes, they somehow picked up a draw in injury time with two very very late goals.
“It’s is going to be more of a challenge than people give it credit for at this moment in time.”
A clash of differing form
Over the past six games, Newcastle have picked up just a single point from a possible 36. They’ve found the net twice in that time, in 2-1 defeats to Leicester and Leeds.
They’ll be looking to avoid losing six games in a row when they visit Goodison Park.
The Toffees, on the other hand, have won four of their last six matches and are currently seventh in the Premier League table with 33 points.
It’s fair to say however that they were far from their best in the last fixture. The Toffees were held to a 1-1 draw with Leicester on Wednesday evening.
Ancelotti’s side were dominated at home. They saw only 35% of the possession and registered just two shots on target over 90 minutes.
The Italian will be looking for a reaction from his players. Newcastle are a side sliding at an alarming rate down the table towards the relegation spots.
In other Everton news, this club legend has issued a warning to the clubs younger stars.