Unusual Joelinton risk pays off as Chelsea wound up and famous Newcastle partnership returns
The Brazilian enforcer was at his best - in a new role - against Chelsea
Joelinton arrived at Newcastle United as a centre-forward and ended Wednesday's Carabao Cup win over Chelsea as a right wing-back as he added yet another position to his ever-growing CV on Tyneside.
The Brazilian started the clash as Newcastle's left-winger before being shifted to the opposite flank, swapping with Anthony Gordon midway through the second-half. As Chelsea sought a way back into the game, Newcastle resorted to a flat back five, with Emil Krafth moving inside to become a third central defender as Joelinton dropped in at right-back to man mark Mykhailo Mudryk.
It was an unusual risk taken by Eddie Howe to task Joelinton with such an unfamiliar role, at such a crucial stage of the tie, but Newcastle's most versatile outlet seems to simply take any positional switch in his stride.
“If someone said to me, ‘What’s Joelinton’s best position?’, I’d struggle to give you one answer," Howe said at full-time. "That’s a brilliant thing for me to have within the squad, but sometimes when you pick a team, it’s not just about having a player in a certain position, it’s about the relationships that they form around them."
Joelinton may not have found himself in the middle of the pitch for prolonged periods on Wednesday but the south American enforcer did find himself in the middle of some feisty moments off the ball as he moved to defend his team-mates when the game threatened to boil over.
When Anthony Gordon left a late one on Marc Cucurella, Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile took matters into his own hands, shoving the Newcastle forward. Handbags ensued and Joelinton was straight into the action to throw his own weight about, winding up the likes of Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo and Enzo Fernandez before referee Chris Kavanagh got a lid back on proceedings.
Newcastle's starting lineup had some scratching their heads before kick-off as to who would be the third attacking outlet alongside Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon. Joelinton was tasked with starting down the left, with his team-mate Joe Willock sitting just behind him in a midfield role.
The duo always seem to play much better when they are on the pitch together - and their partnership in the Chelsea win has only increased calls for both to start going forward - with many wanting Joelinton to be moved further forward and out of midfield in upcoming matches.
“It’s a difficult position for me to pick from,” said Howe, when asked about the left-wing spot. “We have an array of riches on that left-hand side with Anthony, Harvey and Joey (Joelinton).
“When Joelinton and Joe Willock play together, they dovetail in that position really well. I’m not sure what the final solution to that is, other than that we have very good players competing for places, which is what we need in all areas of the pitch.
“Today, we utilised Anthony on the right of the pitch, and I thought he did fine. I thought Joelinton and Joe Willock did really well down the left, and I was delighted with the solidity they both gave us.”