da apostaganha： Newcastle United are in the midst of an injury crisis right now but have still managed to pick up some huge wins in the Premier League, particularly Saturday's 1-0 victory at home to Manchester United.
da gbg bet： Eddie Howe has had to bandage his team up, but those who walk over the white line have certainly stepped up to the plate as of late for the head coach, having picked up massive results in recent weeks against the likes of the Red Devils, Arsenal, Chelsea and even Paris Saint-Germain.
The defence, in particular, has been left bruised and battered with injuries as Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Sven Botman and Nick Pope are all sidelined with long-term problems, meaning Newcastle's defence is quite a makeshift one.
Nevertheless, the back four have done really well so far, and one player in particular has exceeded expectations.
Tino Livramento's stats this season
Tino Livramento joined Newcastle United during the summer for £40m following Southampton's relegation from the Premier League. However, given the form of Kieran Trippier and Burn either side of the centre-backs, the young defender struggled to break into the first-team.
Heading into November, Livramento's only start for the Geordie outfit came in a 1-0 win at home to Manchester City in the EFL Cup back in September, although his display was certainly impressive.
Club legend Malcolm Macdonald called Livramento "faultless" throughout the game and admitted that Howe needed to find a place in the starting lineup for the exciting fullback, although it wasn't until Burn's injury that Livramento had the opportunity to shine for the Magpies, albeit at left-back.
Nevertheless, after a string of stellar performances on the left, the 21-year-old has made the position his own.
In fact, Livramento is outperforming Burn in a number of key metrics this season, meaning the latter could struggle to reclaim his starting place in the team upon returning from injury.
Assists
0.13
0
Expected Assists
0.07
0.02
Progressive Passes
4.36
3.16
Key Passes
0.91
0.23
Passes To Penalty Area
0.91
0.38
Passes To Final 1/3
2.91
2.93
Crosses
1.2
0.67
Progressive Carries
2.91
0.6
Tackles
2.91
1.73
Tackles Won
2.13
0.96
Interceptions
1.47
0.81
Errors
0
0.08
Livramento could have been seen as a long-term replacement for Trippier who is now on the wrong side of 30, but with the Chelsea academy product finding his feet on the left, perhaps another player in Howe's ranks could be his successor.
Harrison Ashby's stats this season
Livramento wasn't the only fullback Newcastle United bought this year. The club also managed to secure the services of Harrison Ashby from West Ham United for a reported £3m back in January.
Ashby was highly rated at West Ham United, with former captain Mark Noble even claiming that the wide defender has a "real physical stature". The 22-year-old had made seven appearances in all competitions for the Hammers over the past three seasons but appeared merely twice last term before making the switch to the Mags.
Nonetheless, after a handful of appearances in the Premier League 2 with Newcastle's U21s, Ashby was sent out on loan to Swansea City at the beginning of the current campaign. It's been a tricky season for the Swans, who recently sacked head coach Michael Duff, but Ashby is still playing plenty of first-team football, making 13 appearances so far, including 11 in the Championship.
Ashby has a bright future ahead of him and with Livramento looking likely to hold onto his left-back berth long into the future, the Swansea loanee could come for Trippier's place over the coming seasons, with the latter turning 34 next year.
Trippier is still outperforming Ashby by a large margin in attack but the young defender has performed quite well defensively in comparison to the England international.
Assists
0.12
0.51
Expected Assists
0.05
0.36
Progressive Passes
1.69
7.33
Key Passes
0.39
3.04
Passes To Penalty Area
0.65
2.07
Passes To Final 1/3
1.69
4.81
Crosses
3.37
8.32
Progressive Carries
1.3
1.85
Tackles
3.25
1.63
Tackles Won
2.44
0.88
Interceptions
2.33
0.88
Errors
0.13
0.07
Trippier is one of the best attacking fullbacks in the world so it'll always be difficult for a young player to reach his heights. However, Ashby is playing regular first-team football for the first time in his career and his numbers are certainly encouraging.
Former Swansea manager Duff even admitted that Ashby came to the Swansea.com Stadium with a "really positive character reference" from Trippier, whom the coach played with at Burnley for a few seasons before retiring.
Perhaps Howe may look to implement him into the team next season, handing Trippier a few nights off, with an eye to having a permanent changing of the guard between the pair.