BACK AT HIS POST
Dubravka on the ball again for Magpies
STEVE Bruce made just one change for Newcastle United’s game against Wolves but, boy, was it a significant one as Martin Dubravka was recalled in place of Karl Darlow.
Dubravka made his first league start since the final day of last season and it did not take the club’s reigning player of the year long to make his presence felt as he barked orders at his defenders within seconds of the game getting under way.
He was not forced to make a save until the 31st minute when he kept out Adama Traore’s near-post header.
Like most goalkeepers, Dubravka prefers being busy but it ultimately proved to be a more eventful return to the starting lineup than the Slovakia international would have liked.
Such are Dubravka’s high standards, the shot-stopper will have felt he could have done a lot more after Ruben Neves’ header squirmed past him in the second half. Saying, that, however, Newcastle would not have even earned a point if it was not for Dubravka after the 32-year-old made a remarkable save in stoppage time to deny substitute Fabio Silva.
It is such an obvious point to make but Dubravka will benefit from a run of games in the coming weeks after making just his second start in all competitions since July. Dubravka took 10 goal kicks against Wolves but only half of his long passes were accurate and 55% of his forward passes found a team-mate.
It was rather telling how much Dubravka got on the ball against Wolves, though, and his team-mates do not think twice about passing it back to him because of how good he is with his feet.
Dubravka received the ball 17 times – more than Karl Darlow has on any occasion this season.
Dubravka makes errors – five goals were conceded last season on the back of his mistakes – but, equally, the goalkeeper ‘only’ let in 58 league goals in 2019-20 when that number should have been closer to 65 based on the quality of shots he faced.
His shot-stopping ability, distribution and presence at the back are among the reasons why Bruce will hope the goalkeeper could yet have a big say on Newcastle’s relegation fight.
With a third of the campaign still to play, Bruce pointed to Dubravka’s ‘experience’ and ‘know-how’ as the Magpies embarked on a seasondefining period of fixtures against sides in the bottom half.
Just as Dubravka will have a big role to play in the coming weeks, Darlow’s own contribution in the first half of the campaign should not be forgotten and Bruce was the first to acknowledge the decision was ‘cruel.’
Darlow’s man-of-the-match performances helped Newcastle earn unexpected points against Spurs and Liverpool while the goalkeeper also made big saves in victories against Burnley, Crystal Palace and Southampton.
Dubravka was fit to return to the match day squad on New Year’s Eve after recovering from a longstanding heel injury but, tellingly, Bruce kept faith with Darlow, who deserved to keep his place in the side.
Darlow will have been devastated to have been dropped this week but, such is his professionalism, you can bet the determined shot-stopper will keep pushing Dubravka in the coming weeks and months.