Forget Dan Burn - This was another huge problem in Saturday's 4-4 draw with Luton

It goes without saying that Dan Burn had a disastrous afternoon in Saturday's 4-4 draw with Luton.

Chiedozie Ogbene had the beating of him every time, he gave away a penalty and lost the ball in the build-up to their fourth before he was replaced by Tino Livramento.

However, there was so much more to our defensive fragility than just Burn. Yes, he's been targeted a few times now - Nottingham Forest got a lot of joy down his side on Boxing Day - but our midfield looked wide open once again.

We saw major improvements at Aston Villa, where they go so little joy in central areas, yet it's becoming a theme at St James' Park to see visiting sides cut through out midfield three on the counter. Joelinton’s power, physicality and disruptive ball-winning ability was a huge miss, while the pace, athleticism and ball-carrying ability of Joe Willock is something we're also crying out for.

Sean Longstaff and Lewis Miley are very capable players, but stylistically they are very similar, while Bruno - for all of this quality - is not known for his pace or athleticism. We found the balance at Villa with that trio, but we were found wanting against a Luton side who were able to break away all too easily, seeing Ross Barkley run riot at times.

I'm sure we'd have brought in a midfield spoiler or dynamic No 8 had finances allowed it last month, it's just a worry to see us cut open so easily at St James' Park.

Livramento in for Burn is an obvious switch, especially for those 'winnable' home games, but striking the right balance in midfield also feels key, whether that's tweaking for the formation or changing personnel.

With Joelinton out for the forseeable future, Willock's return can't come quick enough.