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Opinion: Positive team news ahead of Crystal Palace clash

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At the moment, Newcastle United need a boost. 

While losses to high-flying Southampton and expensively-assembled Chelsea aren’t the worst results in the world, the manner of the performances has been insipid. Amassing only three shots on target in 180 minutes of Premier League action, the Magpies look toothless in attack.

Even more alarmingly, they’ve conceded in the first 10 minutes of a game five times already this season, so it’s not as if the defence – aside from Karl Darlow – is always able to keep them in games to try and steal a result.

However, some early team news in regards to the trip to Crystal Palace from the Chronicle is positive.

They claim Matt Ritchie, Jonjo Shelvey and Callum Wilson are all likely to be available on Friday night, giving Steve Bruce more options. Indeed, no one is averaging more key passes in the Newcastle squad per game this season than Shelvey (1.2, via WhoScored) and the midfielder is behind only Wilson in terms of shots over the same period (2 to 1.6).

With that in mind, it stands to reason that the team will at least have a bit more attacking impetus against Palace. With two players who shoot more than anyone else in the squad available, perhaps they can start to test the opposition ‘keeper a bit more.

That seems like an obvious thing to say but the situation has got so dire in the last few games that it wouldn’t take a lot for them to improve. Furthermore, no one has crossed as much as Ritchie this season (he completed 3 in his one game), so perhaps the former Scottish international can help bring the best out of Andy Carroll, a topic I recently wrote about.

Things aren’t going well at the moment but, hopefully with the return of 3 big players, it can start to improve.

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