At a glance
- Newcastle United’s disjointed pressing
- A page from Barcelona’s book
- Woltemade’s substitution that changed the game
It was yet another timid derby day performance for Newcastle United as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against their bitter rivals Sunderland for the second time in the Premier League this season.
The game can only really be summed up as an embarrassment for Eddie Howe’s men. A 1-0 lead inside 10 minutes was rendered almost entirely void from the moment the goal went in, as the Magpies failed to muster any sort of momentum from that point on.
It was a day when both the tactics and the players’ performances were nothing short of inept. The game rather poetically resembled a lot of what has hindered Newcastle throughout the season.
So, let’s take a look at the way Eddie Howe set up his side, in full. Diving into what worked and, more pertinently, what didn’t in the Tyne-Wear derby.
Newcastle’s trademark press
The high-intensity pressure has become a trademark of Newcastle United since Eddie Howe took over. In fact, the Magpies have undoubtedly the most potent man-for-man system in the division.
And it was exactly that which led to the goal inside 10 minutes. Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon set up on the edge of the Sunderland box from a goal kick.
Behind that, every Newcastle player stepped man-for-man. Chris Rigg was the only one left unchecked, as the two centre-backs remained doubled up on Brian Brobbey.
Stand-in goalkeeper Melker Ellborg played short to Luke O’Nien, who seemingly tried to go long into either the free man Rigg or into Brobbey’s feet, as was the plan across the 90 minutes.
Instead, O’Nien’s wayward attempt was cut out by Woltemade, who found Gordon in one touch. The in-form forward took the ball past O’Nien before slotting past Ellborg to break the deadlock.
It was a perfect example of a high press, albeit naive from a Sunderland perspective.
From there, you’d expect the Magpies to look to capitalise on the nerves in the Black Cats’ backline. But rather than keeping that pressure on, Newcastle’s press became rather disjointed and sluggish.
Partially due to Sunderland becoming more intentional with their build-up, but mainly down to Newcastle beginning to leave gaps and sit deeper in defensive shape.
It left spaces perfect for Sunderland to implement their game plan and punish Newcastle’s lapses in concentration.
Le Bris’ Barcelona callback
The undoing in Newcastle’s second-half collapse against Barcelona midweek was actually something rather simple.
Because Newcastle were so adamant on being man-for-man, Hansi Flick implored his team to play from the back and draw in the Newcastle press.
They then went a little longer, into a forward player, who usually lay off, before a through ball was played in behind the Newcastle backline. A very simple up, back and through.
And that is exactly how Regis le Bris began to undo the intense pressure of Howe’s men.
Brian Brobbey was excellent from start to finish. His hold-up play was everything that Sunderland needed to take the pressure off. With the flat nature of Newcastle’s midfield, which has been an issue for the Magpies all season, there were gaps for runners to exploit and spaces behind the high line to be played into.
Whilst this didn’t directly cause either goal, it was the thorn in the Geordies’ side throughout and played a part in the set pieces Sunderland were winning, which ultimately led to the first goal and beyond.
The Woltemade change that lost the game
There was some scepticism before kickoff when Nick Woltemade was once again tasked with completing a midfield fill-in.
But it must be said that he was largely Newcastle’s brightest spark, both creatively and in many ways defensively throughout.
In possession, he was finding spaces in between the lines, and the one-touch play allowed swift breaks to transition seamlessly. Even in the second half, when Newcastle looked short of ideas, Big Nick looked the most potent in creativity.
Out of possession, his role was priceless. It is well documented that Granit Xhaka is Sunderland’s talisman. But Woltemade largely nullified that threat when Le Bris’ men had the ball.
Woltemade was tasked with dropping onto Xhaka’s toes to prevent him from receiving the ball and progressing the build-up. This was shown perfectly in the goal, where the German was tight to the Swiss midfielder and nipped in ahead of him.
However, at 65 minutes, much to the shock of many, Woltemade was subbed off. It was a decision that almost seemed pre-planned, rather than a response to what was happening in the game. If it had been based on the play, the big German would surely have remained on the pitch.
His absence was felt almost immediately. Willock, who is notoriously a runner, replaced him, and his chaotic nature was a far cry from the structure Woltemade brought.
Sunderland were able to get more touches in those central areas, and Xhaka was no longer quite as limited in his ability to pull strings.
Not only that, but Woltemade coming off almost entirely dissipated any threat Newcastle had in breaking lines, and Howe’s men looked devoid of ideas from that point forth.
In the end, it was almost certainly what caused the demise in the game’s final quarter.
