Newcastle United have recently completed the signing of Georginio Wijnaldum, a midfielder who is currently a member of the Dutch National Team, and was formerly the captain of PSV Eindhoven. The reported transfer fee is €20million (£14.7million when converted to sterling), the third highest amount payed for a player in Newcastle history.
The pressure will be on new manager Steve McClaren to utilize Wijnaldum effectively. This article will examine different ways McClaren could deploy the squad with Wijnaldum now in the fold.
4-4-2
The first set up to examine is a 4-4-2. In this formation, Wijnaldum would pair in central midfield with the likes of Jack Colback, Mouassa Sissoko, or Cheick Tiote. Ideally, Colback or Tiote would start to give the more offensive minded Wijnaldum defensive support in midfield. The wide midfielders would be Remy Cabella on the right, with young Rolando Aarons on the left.
The main benefit of this formation would be the ability to deploy both Papiss Cisse and Ayoze Perez together as strikers, giving the Magpies both a physical presence in Cisse, as well as a more pacey and technical striker in Perez. Siem De Jong could also be deployed as an effective alternate at striker for either Perez of Cisse.
The formation also benefits in from starting Wijnaldum in a very familiar position, one in which he scored an astounding 18 goals for PSV in his most recent campaign.
4-2-3-1
The next formation for Newcastle to deploy featuring Wijnaldum could be the 4-2-3-1. In this set up, Newcastle would have 2 defensive midfielders and 3 attacking midfielders. While Tiote and Colback would likely be the combination at defensive midfield, the options at attacking midfield have become more diverse with he addition of Wijnaldum. A combination of 3 of Sissoko, Wijnaldum, Cabella, and De Jong could be started to give the team an extremley effective attack, with Cisse remaining up top as the lone striker. In this particular team sheet, De Jong is in the middle, with Cabella on the left and Wijnaldum on the right
4-3-3
The 4-3-3 is perhaps the formation that best demonstrates Wijnaldum’s versatility. His ability to play on either wing, as well as in the two central midfield positions would make him invaluable to this system. With that being said, it is still preferable to play him centrally. Here he would pair with Sissoko, with Colback being the the defensive midfielder. This would allow Sissoko and Wijnaldum to attack forward from there position, as Colback would be able to cover both of these dangerous players. Cisse would again start in the lone central striker berth, while Cabella would be the right wing, and Aarons the left.
4-1-2-1-2 (Diamond)
The last formation to be discussed, the 4-1-2-1-2 was deployed by McClaren sometimes at Derby, and is becoming more popular. In this formation, the midfield would consist of two central midfielders, with a defensive midfielder behind them and an attacking midfielder in front. Tiote could be the defensive midfielder, with Sissoko and Colback the central pairing, and finally Wijnaldum as the sole attacking midfielder. This formation would allow Newcastle to play to its strengths by deploying as many central midfielders as possible. Wijnaldums ability to play the attacking midfield spot would also allow De Jong to pair Cisse or Perez at striker.
To conclude, Wijnaldum’s signing will certainly upgrade the tactical capabilities of McClaren’s Newcastle squad. With the ability to add Wijnaldum to the starting lineup in at least 4 different positions and multiple formations, Wijnaldum can help shape a new Newcastle lineup. The Dutchmen looks certain, barring injury, to have a profound impact on the Magpies, no matter what position he plays this season.
