{"id":514730,"date":"2026-03-10T09:18:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/514730\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T09:18:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:18:07","slug":"newcastle-facing-goalkeeping-dilemma-ahead-of-champions-league-clash-with-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/514730\/","title":{"rendered":"Newcastle facing goalkeeping dilemma ahead of Champions League clash with Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Newcastle United made an eyebrow-raising change in goal in the days leading up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcablaugranes.com\/barcelona-uefa-champions-league\/114654\/how-will-barcelona-line-up-against-newcastle-champions-league\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FC Barcelona\u2019s arrival at St. James\u2019 Park<\/a>. Aaron Ramsdale, who had been the designated cup keeper, was handed the starting spot over Nick Pope in a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League. The switch comes after a series of mistakes from Pope that have frustrated fans and teammates alike. That drop in form could perhaps be traced back to his shoulder injury last season, which is worrying for Newcastle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">\u201cThe role of a goalkeeper can sometimes be very up and down,\u201d manager Eddie Howe said after that match. \u201cBut [Pope] has to see the longer-term vision: simply be at his very best; forget about team selection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The message to Pope was: find the sharpness that made you one of England\u2019s more reliable keepers, or you may not start.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The Athletic reports Newcastle are unlikely to sign Ramsdale permanently, which could see him return to Southampton next summer. Still, his recent performances in midweek, where three crucial saves helped secure victory, offer that glimpse of stability that Pope has struggled to provide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pope has conceded 32 goals against an expected tally of 29.2 and has a save rate down from his career average. Some of those goals had analysts comparing him to a statue, because he barely moved as the ball finds the net. Others show hesitation or poor positioning. A pattern emerges that is hard to ignore: lack of confidence, sometimes poor footwork, and perhaps the lingering effects of injury have all played a role in his uneven form.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Ramsdale is considered quite good for a backup, but he may not be the permanent solution. One clean sheet in 15 appearances across competitions is not exactly inspiring, and his save percentage has been the lowest among Premier League goalkeepers with substantial minutes. Still, Howe trusted him for the FA Cup tie against Manchester City, though that was not a surprise as he was the designated cup keeper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Will Howe persist with Ramsdale, or will he go back to Pope?<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Either way, Barcelona will walk into St. James\u2019 Park knowing Newcastle\u2019s goalkeeping situation is unsettled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Newcastle United made an eyebrow-raising change in goal in the days leading up to FC Barcelona\u2019s arrival at&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[1481,4218,403,99],"class_list":["post-514730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-barcelona-team-news","tag-barcelona-uefa-champions-league","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}