Lewis Miley needs unleashing – Eddie Howe must be brave and drop big-name Newcastle United star
Eddie Howe must make a bold decision against Benfica
11:17, 20 Oct 2025
Lewis Miley
It’s not often Eddie Howe gets things wrong. The Newcastle United head coach has been masterful in most of his decisions over the last four years, propelling the Magpies from the relegation zone to twice qualifying for the Champions League.
Throw in ending the trophy hoodoo by winning the Carabao Cup last year at Wembley and the United chief is now, quite rightly, considered by many as the greatest manager the club has ever had.
That cup win over Liverpool was one of the most outstanding tactical performances by a Newcastle team in living memory. From the set-pieces that led to Dan Burn’s opener, to the way their bold press meant the Reds were forced to go long to Mohamed Salah where Burn was waiting to defeat him in the air, everything put in place turned to gold.
The base of the win, however, was the midfield. It was the day when Newcastle’s famed trio of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton showed on the biggest stage just how good they are, bullying and bossing Liverpool’s engine room which had put the Reds on the way to eventually winning the Premier League title.
It was a performance that solidified their reputation as one of the best midfields, not just in England, but in Europe.
This season, there have been some decent displays again. They once again showed Liverpool what they are all about as they outclassed the champions despite United only having 10 men for more than 45 minutes, while there have been good individual displays across the opening matches of the season – Bruno’s man of the match display against Nottingham Forest was the perfect example of the charismatic captain leading by example.
The trio haven’t quite been at their best this season, however. There was no disgrace in getting outplayed by Pedri and Frenkie De Jong when Barcelona came to town, but there’s been alarm bells ringing elsewhere.
Tonali was outstanding against Wolves, with Howe hailing his ability in ‘putting out a lot of fires on transitions for us’ but that just highlighted the malfunctions elsewhere. Eberechi Eze’s movement caused all sorts of problems when Newcastle were defeated by Arsenal; and on Saturday the midfield cost the Magpies dearly at St James’ Park.
Alan Shearer’s analysis on Match of the Day perfectly highlighted the issues. Is it a lack of form? Was it fatigue after the international exploits, particularly in the case of the Brazilians after their mammoth trip to Asia and back? It left pundits and fans questioning whether Howe should have rested them after such a tight turnaround.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. When asked what team we would all start with, Chronicle Live writers pretty much all went with the first-choice midfield, although there were plenty of doubts expressed about the trio’s tiredness.
In the end, Joelinton lasted just 45 minutes before being replaced by Lewis Miley. The Stanley teenager added extra energy and poise when he came on, not only grabbing an assist for Nick Woltemade after bursting into the box but had 40 touches and 35 passes in just one half of football, with a 97% success rate.
Miley’s performance has put him in the frame for the Benfica game. The temptation for Howe will be to play his ‘strongest’ line-up for the visit of Jose Mourinho’s men but that strongest XI is no longer as nailed on as it once was. The midfield isn’t working as it can.
Miley has barely put a foot wrong when he’s played this season, and has in fact been among United’s best players. His performance from the bench against Leeds was solid, he impressed at Bournemouth when given 90 minutes; and despite a couple of errors against Bradford City, his movement of the ball was excellent.
The youngster was frustrated with his lack of gametime last season but now looks raring to go. Howe must be considering unleashing his undoubted ability from the start on Tuesday night and he knows the schemer won’t be overawed – this is a player who starred against Paris St Germain at the Parc de Princes aged just 17.
It’s time for Howe to make the bold call and drop one of his underperforming trio. It’s a big call but as Saturday’s substitutions showed, the United boss isn’t afraid of being ruthless.
