"?Will Newcastle United change the way they play if star midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is banned for using racist language?
The incident related to the 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in which the former Swansea City man was alleged to have abused Romain Saiss - who speaks little English but was persuaded to report the incident to the FA by his teammates.
There have been conflicting reports about the nature of what was said as the the "?Telegraph report, also all those interviewed have consistently claimed that Shelvey use language directed at Saiss' ethnicity and/or nationality.
United will have to wait until Thursday evening before they find out if the playmaker will be charged with anything - and until then plans for the Leeds United game on Sunday 20th will not be able to be fully formalised.
But if he is found guilty, will Toon manager Rafa Benitez change the system to accommodate losing one of the best midfielders in the division?
The short answer is that it depends. On paper, Benitez doesn't have to change a thing as Jack Colback and Isaac Hayden can play alongside each other in midfield.
But on the pitch that will see the Magpies playing more negative football without the expansive range of passing that Shelvey brings to the side. Hayden and Colback are both good footballers, but they lack the ability to move the ball quickly and accurately across the pitch.
One other option could be to drop Mohamed Diame into the middle of the park and play Ayoze Perez behind a central striker - but this would limit how effective Diame can be. There is no doubt that he would still be a good option, but the ex-Hull City man is best when he loiters at the edge of the area and doesn't have to concern himself too much with defensive duties.
Alternatively Benitez could always go for a flat 4-4-2 system - but he has proven this season that he doesn't like to deviate away from a formation that works, but Newcastle have enough midfielders to use 4-2-3-1.
Given his past history, it's unlikely that he will change the setup to include Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dwight Gayle up front. It'll be more of the same, but just a little less good.
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