As I sit here writing this piece (In Manchester, of all places), I must admit there is a lot more enthusiasm to perform an analysis than there was for the Everton game a few days ago.
In fact, for what feels like the first time in a long time, the ‘what worked’ section of this article will be longer than the ‘what didn’t’ – how exciting is that?
It was an excellent performance, all things considered, and one that miraculously got better after Jacob Ramsey picked up a second yellow for ‘simulation’ purely for the tenacity and fight that the lads showed after going a man down.
It is a showing best categorised as a proper Newcastle United performance under Eddie Howe and exceptionally refreshing given the drab nature of their Premier League campaign so far.
Anyway, enough romanticising. Let’s get stuck into the analysis.
What Didn’t Work
In an almost polar opposite situation to last week, I very much found myself scrambling to find anything to fill this section with. We were really good!
The most pressing issue surfaced within the sustained pressure that characterised much of the first period.
Across the season, Newcastle have had a tendency to get stuck in periods of possession without being able to break the lines and create clear-cut chances.
That trend continued in the first half yesterday, and Newcastle should have made it 1-0 well before the Gordon penalty.
Kieran Trippier saw a speculative effort ricochet off the post after troubling Lammens, and Harvey Barnes curled one just wide of the post from the edge of the box in a move where he really should have played in the awaiting Anthony Elanga.
Don’t get me wrong, there were opportunities, but most came courtesy of half-chances rather than carving through the Man Utd defensive structure.
Finding a way to open up those spaces without it having to come as a result of a fast break is crucial to the sustainability of the system going forward and is, quite frankly, the only tactical issue that arose with yesterday’s win.
What Worked
Joelinton back in midfield, an actual left-winger on the left in Barnes – it was a much more understandable and conventional system compared to the Everton game, and it showed in the performance.
It was the exact sort of high-octane, suffocating approach that has made Newcastle so feared under Eddie Howe for so many years, and Man Utd couldn’t deal with it.
Newcastle had struggled to fill the hole left by the injured Bruno, but that all changed yesterday with Joelinton.
The big Brazilian transformed into a midfield conductor, with Sandro Tonali and Jacob Ramser (later Joe Willock), providing the stability and giving Joelinton the opportunity to run the game.
His runs forward from midfield caused chaos for the largely unathletic midfield of the Red Devils, with Tonali’s often slipping into the spaces left by his roaming movements and holding the discipline in case the ball was turned over.
Having two out-and-out wingers provided the sort of outlets and width that we really lacked against Everton and allowed both of the fullbacks to involve themselves in buildup, mainly through Trippier, who was excellent on the right-hand side and pinned Cunha back for large majorities of the game.
The big moment for Howe came when Jacob Ramsey received his marching orders just before half time, which saw the gaffer shift the formation to a 4-3-2 with Elanga and Gordon occupying those narrow front two positions.
The two widest midfielders, Joelinton and Willock, were tasked with cutting off the lanes when Man Utd sent the ball wide, with the main goal of the narrow system to prevent the brilliance of Bruno Fernandes from being displayed.
That containment, including large periods still on the front foot, was followed by a switch toward the close of the game, when Will Osula was brought on as a lone striker in a 4-5-1.
He was favoured over Wissa mainly because of the exceptional energy that he brings to the game, with the Dane almost a one-man press at times.
And it was that unbelievable work rate that eventually led to the goal, winning the ball back deep in his own half before bursting forward at a rate of knots and curling into the bottom corner for a goal worthy of winning any football match.
It was a stunning effort, which capped off a brilliant Newcastle United outing that was almost perfectly managed by Howe from a tactical point of view and executed to perfection by those on the field.
I don’t want to get too carried away, but if that is the sort of structure and style we bring when Barcelona come to town next week, we could well be heading to Spain with a real chance of qualifying for the quarter-final.
