The Burn & Hall Conundrum

Lewis Hall was 'rested' on Tuesday night against Spurs as Eddie Howe selected Dan Burn to play at left back in his usual 4-3-3 formation. The conundrum for Eddie Howe is - who takes the left back spot when Eddie wants to play his strongest team?

Who is the left back starter in a best 11?

There is no doubt in my mind that Lewis Hall has been one of the very few players, along with Bruno and Malik Thiaw, to perform at a consistently high level this season.

His defensive qualities, close control and surging forward runs have caught the eye of not only Newcastle fans but also of Pep Guardiola who praised his outstanding performance at SJP in the first leg of the Carabou Cup semi final.

Hall has rapidly become a young player who is now considered on the same level as his opposite number at right back, Tino Livramento.

In a best fit eleven Livramento would be nailed on to start at right back but many fans, me included, would not be so certain that Eddie Howe would choose Hall over Burn.

Injuries to the CB's , Dan Burn and the pile up of fixtures has meant that Eddie hasn't had to really consider the Hall or Burn question so far this season. Burn has played mostly at CB leaving Hall to play at LB.

However, Burn started against Spurs and, like Kieran Trippier, age is starting to blunt his powers and no more so than against pacy wingers.

Big Dan has never been the quickest and at CB whilst pace is still an asset, it is not as crucial as in the FB position. Against Spurs Burn was exposed and beaten for pace more than once down his flank and the truth is it was the home side's best chance of creating a goal.

Kieran Trippier was at fault for all three goals in the home defeat to Brentford and in every case his lack of pace was at the root of the cause.

A possible option for Howe in the Hall or Burn decision is to play five at the back or 3-4-3 which can accommodate both players. But, is that just a 'get out' for Eddie or the best tactical formation to play in a game?

World Cup places are at stake

Both Burn and Hall will be hoping to get into Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad.

Game time and form between now and the end of the season will be a big factor in whether or not players are selected.

Rotation will stay play a part is making Eddie's choice between Hall and Burn easier, but another conundrum for Burn and Tuchel is that Burn won't get into the squad as a LB, only as a CB. Playing as a rotational LB won't help Burn's chances of being on the plane.

My feeling is that we can't go into games with a FB pairing of Trippier and Burn.

Do that , for example, against Villa and the pace they have across the front line and we risk being exposed time and again. Without a doubt teams will target our flanks and better teams than Spurs will take advantage of our slow and ageing full backs.

Starting against Villa on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how Eddie handles the Burn and Hall conundrum and also between now and the end of the season.

What do you think?

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