Alan Pardew admits he is facing a selection headache at Newcastle as he looks to have a fully fit squad for the visit of Tottenham.
Toon boss facing a juggling act
Alan Pardew admits he is facing a selection dilemma at Newcastle as he looks to have a fully fit squad for the visit of Tottenham after the international break.
The Toon boss has praised the defensive resilience of his side, having conceded only four goals in seven games as the club sit proudly in fourth spot in the Premier League.
And central defensive pairing Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor along with new first-choice keeper Tim Krul, have been instrumental in the club's unbeaten start to the campaign.
But with Hatem Ben Arfa joining summer signings Yohan Cabaye, Gabriel Obertan and Sylvain Marveaux in a fit-again squad, Pardew is aware he faces a delicate juggling act from now on.
Compromise
He said: "That's always going to be compromised somewhere along the line, and there's no doubt that one or two players coming into the team can change the character of it quite quickly.
"That was evident at Nottingham Forest (in the Carling Cup third round), when we conceded three goals - and two of them were quite sloppy ones.
"You have always got to be adaptable and always got to be ready to understand that one player can make the make-up of the team very different."
However, Pardew is delighted with his side's 15-point return which has left the club wreathed in smiles for the first time in a long while.
He added: "The players are producing. Whichever player I put out there at the moment seems to have a bit of form about them and confidence, and that bodes well."
