Eddie Howe is facing an 'impossible' decision at Newcastle United as Nick Pope enters the final stages of his recovery from injury. Joe Buck takes a look at whether Martin Dubravka will retain his starting spot - or if Pope will get the nod again
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00:00So, after 9 wins in the last 10 games, it can be a surprise to see Eddie Howe has a
00:05big decision to make with his start at 11. Of course, in those 9 games, bar the Bromley
00:10Cup game, he's been able to name a fairly settled first 11. You know, that midfield
00:143, particularly with Tenali, Guimaraes and Joe Linton, has been brilliant. But of course,
00:20there is a decision waiting for Eddie Howe, and that is who he selects in goal once Nick
00:24Pope gets back fit from his injury. Now, Pope was injured against Brentford in mid-December,
00:29not the Cup game, remember, but in the Premier League game, the one that lost 4-2 at the
00:33GTEC Community Stadium. Since then, Martin De Braffica came in and has had a brilliant
00:37record in the start of 11. You can't argue with that. He's kept 7 clean sheets all season,
00:42with 6 of those coming in that run. So, he has been brilliant, and what a revival for
00:47his career at Newcastle United. One that took a little bit of a... turned sour a little
00:52bit after his move to Manchester United a couple of seasons ago. But De Braffica has
00:57been a brilliant servant for this club, and hopefully this little period, if he leaves
01:00in this month or in summer, hopefully this period has sort of reignited his Newcastle
01:07career, and one that people can look back on. But of course, Eddie Howe has got a big
01:10decision to make. Whether Pope comes back in for De Braffica when he's fit, or whether
01:14he stays with the Slovakian. Now, the sensible... not sensible choice, the obvious choice would
01:19be actually stay with De Braffica, despite him conceding 4 at the weekend. He's been
01:23brilliant in Newcastle's defence, and looks a bit more secure with him, and going forward
01:29or building from the back, De Braffica is better with his feet than Pope. But it is
01:33a thing that Eddie Howe is going to have to consider. It's not too long ago, if you remember
01:36at the end of last season, Pope picked up an injury in December, that was a dislocated
01:41shoulder. He missed the majority of the second half of the season, and it can be argued that
01:44him missing that was the reason Newcastle didn't hit European football. De Braffica
01:48wasn't the same shot-stopper. You felt that Newcastle probably could have picked up a
01:53couple more points with Pope and Nett. But obviously, De Braffica has changed that this
01:57season, he's been brilliant. So, it's a really hard call for Eddie Howe, and I would describe
02:01it as an impossible call, to be honest. I think no matter what he does, fans will say
02:04De Braffica should be starting, or Pope should be starting. I don't think there's an easy
02:07solution. I think Newcastle do look a better team with De Braffica and Nett, but of course,
02:14De Braffica's return to goal has also coincided with Tonali dropping back in that sixth role,
02:18and a couple of other things in the team that sort of, you know, it's not just De Braffica
02:21being in Nett, why Newcastle won 10 games in a row, he was a big, nine games in a row,
02:25sorry, he was a big part of that, but he wasn't the sole reason. And whether Nick Pope comes
02:29in, how much that'll destabilise it, and particularly with the game against Arsenal in the
02:33Carabao Cup to come. Now, De Braffica was really good at the Emirates Stadium, there's no
02:36denying that. But Nick Pope, as we've all said, is a better shot-stopper, and whether he
02:41might be someone that Newcastle think, actually, in the moment when Newcastle need it the
02:45most, will Pope deliver that big save over De Braffica? Who knows? You know, only Eddie
02:51Howe knows that, and to be honest, Eddie Howe doesn't know that, you know, I can say, we
02:53can say that Eddie Howe knows the answers, he doesn't, he doesn't have the answers, of
02:56course, it'll just be on what he judges, and what he says week in, week out, and day in,
03:00day out at the training ground. Now, Nick Pope may be back this weekend, we don't know
03:05that yet, Eddie Howe will speak to the media on Friday morning to, ahead of the game
03:10against Southampton, he'll no doubt explain if Pope is available. But even if he's not
03:14available this weekend, Pope is expected to come back in the coming weeks, or days and
03:17weeks. So Eddie Howe does face that decision. De Braffica or Pope, it's a really tough call.
03:25I would like to know your opinion, so please go to the Shields Gazette website, click on any
03:28article, and there should be a poll there, which lets you give your opinion, who you'd
03:32start, Martin De Braffica or Nick Pope, when they're both fit. And yeah, I think it's a
03:37really tough call, and I've no doubt you'll have the same, similar thoughts. It may be
03:41Martin De Braffica is the one you pick, and maybe changing the goalkeeper is too much of a
03:46destabilising sort of decision, but I do think it's a really close decision. I do think
03:51the fan base are assuming Martin De Braffica will stay in number one choice, especially
03:55with the club putting up such an effort to keep him at the club. I don't think it's as
04:00straightforward as, oh, he'll definitely be number one choice, because Nick Pope is, you've
04:03got to remember, he's a brilliant keeper. Maybe not as good as Fifi, but a brilliant
04:06keeper nonetheless, and someone that will be challenging De Braffica all the way between
04:10now and the end of the season. So yeah, anyhow, it does face an impossible call for me
04:14between Martin De Braffica and Nick Pope.