Nick Pope and Dan Burn places in Newcastle United team under threat | OneFootball

This Newcastle United team are unable to cope with opposition sides who play the high press against us.

I think there are two main reasons for this.

My first reason is Nick Pope and his total inability to play the ball with his feet.

While the likes of Villa, Brighton and Arsenal have a keeper who can hit a 40 yard pass to feet, we have a keeper who is lucky to keep the ball in play.

Yeah, he can make saves, but this is the modern game and sweeper keeper seems to be the way forward.

This inability draws the opposition forward as they smell blood. I have experienced it playing footy, it gives you an extra five per cent if you think the keeper is dodgy.

My second reason is tactical.

We simply don’t set up to play out.

Brighton and Villa are the best example of how to play out in my opinion. They make the pitch big, full-backs nice and wide, forwards making runs into midfield to receive the ball and wingers looking for the ball over the top.

But then again, they also have a keeper who can hit those players with a pass, not the ball boy or the fourth row of the East stand.

Do we stick with Nick Pope and deny ourselves an aspect of the modern game, while providing teams like Bournemouth the initiative?

Do we need a better set up to beat the high press?

Football is an evolving game. I think we have a manager who learns and is willing to learn. Does he need to be a bit more ruthless with his selections?

We need defenders who can play out from the back too.