'knife Edge' - Will Newcastle Drop Pope For Ramsdale?

Nick Pope was successful nary man's land.

The Newcastle United number 1 decided to boldly unreserved disconnected his statement successful an effort to get to nan shot retired connected nan right-hand broadside astatine nan Stade Velodrome connected Tuesday.

But it backfired.

Marseille guardant Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sewage location first to time off Pope stranded connected nan biggest shape of each successful nan Champions League.

Pope, rima agape, was near shouting aft Aubameyang.

It was an image that captured Pope's helplessness arsenic 36-year-old Aubameyang coolly swept nan shot into an quiet nett from a agelong measurement retired to level it up.

For nan 3rd distant crippled successful a row, Pope had been astatine responsibility erstwhile Newcastle were ahead. For nan 3rd distant crippled successful a row, Newcastle went connected to lose.

It has led to increasing calls from supporters for chap goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to beryllium handed his first Premier League commencement for nan club.

And caput coach Eddie Howe admitted that "all options are connected nan table" earlier Saturday's travel to Everton.

"The life of a goalkeeper is ever connected a weapon edge," he said. "You're judged connected a mates of moments and, sometimes, you get nary reprieve, nary 1 to prevention you nan different way.

"I deliberation Nick knows that. He's been successful nan crippled agelong enough. It's thing caller to him."

So could Howe make a seismic alteration aliases will he instrumentality pinch his number one?

Pope's position has ne'er genuinely been successful doubt.

The seasoned started nan play arsenic first-choice - conscionable arsenic he did successful each of his erstwhile 3 campaigns astatine Newcastle.

But Howe recognised nan request to bring successful caller competition, moreover earlier goalkeeper Martin Dubravka's departure to Burnley was sanctioned past summer.

James Trafford had been a longstanding target, but nan 23-year-old decided to rejoin erstwhile nine Manchester City from Burnley instead.

And Pope antecedently admitted that Newcastle's very nationalist hunt for a imperishable goalkeeper – and nan consequent presence of Ramsdale connected indebtedness from Southampton - drove him connected to "push himself to nan absolute maximum to gain nan correct to play for nan club".

Pope surely earned that correct aft starting nan run strongly.

Such was Pope's form, nan 33-year-old was recalled to nan England squad for nan first clip successful a twelvemonth earlier this period - only to person to retreat aft suffering a concussion during a lucifer against Brentford.

It was a deserved call-up.

Pope kept 8 cleanable sheets successful his opening 14 games successful each competitions, and his superb 65-yard propulsion went viral aft he group up Harvey Barnes' breakaway extremity against Benfica.

But Newcastle person struggled defensively connected nan roadworthy successful caller weeks.

Though he has not ever been offered overmuch protection by those astir him, Pope has fto successful 10 goals successful his past 4 distant games and made different types of errors against Marseille, Brentford and West Ham erstwhile his broadside were successful front.

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta's changeable squirmed past him astatine nan London Stadium.

Pope was caught retired astatine nan Gtech Community Stadium a week later erstwhile he attempted to punch nan shot only for Kevin Schade to equalise from Brentford defender Michael Kayode's agelong throw.

And past location was his unreserved of humor to nan caput successful Marseille.

Ramsdale's banal has grown successful nan process.

Though Ramsdale conceded 2 goals connected his 1 and only top-flight quality for Newcastle, arsenic a substitute astatine Brentford, nan erstwhile England world antecedently looked assured successful Carabao Cup wins against some Tottenham Hotspur and Bradford City.

He has only made a mates of starts for Newcastle successful each competitions, but his displays still offered 1 aliases 2 hints astir his and Pope's differing skillsets.

Ramsdale's passing accuracy has been, connected average, 21.3% higher than Pope's this season, according to Opta, while he has made astir doubly arsenic galore successful passes (24.3) and agelong passes (7.46) per 90 minutes.

His expertise to play retired from nan backmost quickly struck AFC Wimbledon goalkeeping coach Ashley Bayes during Ramsdale's pivotal indebtedness spell astatine nan nine successful 2019.

"He has personality, character," he said. "He's very connected nan beforehand foot, useful his container really good and his distribution is his biggest strength.

"He's awesome pinch it arsenic he had to beryllium astatine nan different teams he's played for. He learnt a batch astatine Arsenal and nan aforesaid benignant of business astatine Southampton.

"He's very driven, very motivated, and he's a different benignant of goalkeeper to what Newcastle already have, which is bully for nan goalkeeping group there. He loves nan large shape and nan large games. He thrives disconnected nan pressure."

It is easy to hide that Pope has been a champion for truthful agelong for a reason.

He has had a higher prevention percent (77.9%) per 90 minutes than Ramsdale this play and has prevented importantly much goals (3.9) albeit making a nonstop comparison based connected specified a mini sample size is acold from ideal.

Pope has besides made almost double (1.3) nan magnitude of keeper sweepings, which are defined by Opta arsenic occasions wherever he anticipated threat and rushed disconnected his statement to effort to either trim retired an attacking walk successful a title pinch nan guidance subordinate aliases to adjacent down an guidance player.

One of those rushes backfired against Marseille, of course.

However, arsenic Friday's news convention drew to a close, it felt revealing that Howe stated that Pope had a "very beardown season" isolated from "a mates of high-profile moments".

"There's ever 2 sides, isn't there?" he said. "I really deliberation his goalkeeping has been very good. His shot-stopping has been incredible.

"He has made immoderate awesome saves, and a batch of those saves are underrated and spell nether nan radar.

"Because he delivers truthful galore of them, it's almost expected."