Newcastle United have played 13 games this season and have only lost once, a record equaled only by Arsenal and Manchester City. After defeating Aston Villa 4-0 on Saturday, they currently sit fourth in the Premier League. If they finish in the top four, they would play Champions League football for the first time in 19 years.
It would be easy to say that the club’s resurgence is because the new owners spent a lot of money, but only brought in three players this offseason. Those are goalkeeper Nick Pope, defender Sven Botman and striker Alexander Isak. And one of those, Isak, has barely been available. What has changed is that manager Eddie Howe has the personnel he wants, and he has them playing a style of football that is exciting but solid defensively. The reason for this is a similar philosophy to total football, as almost all players have offensive and defensive responsibilities.
Revealed: The secret behind Newcastle’s success
In the back Howe has been playing a back four of Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier. Burn isn’t a true left-back, but Howe’s system gives him enough coverage that he doesn’t get islanded with a winger too often.
Botman has been an anchor in central defense, and while his style isn’t flashy, he’s the only player who doesn’t really step up.
Schar has been very good defensively and often carries the ball forward, even into enemy territory.
Trippier is quick enough to constantly drive forward to cross the ball into the box, but never seems to get caught out of position.
Playing these four makes set pieces very difficult for the opposition as United always have a height advantage in the box, especially with 6’7″ Burn being the tallest player in the league. With Trippier’s free-kick prowess and Schar’s ability to score from distance (his goal against Nottingham Forest from outside the box was a carbon copy of his Goal of the Month against Burnley last December), any opposing manager he should consider any of the back four as a potential goalscoring threat.
Newcastle midfield masters
In midfield, the key has been the two Brazilians, Joelinton and . It is well known that Joelinton was signed as the record transfer that struggled as a striker. But what Howe has done is allow Joelinton to do the things he does best: control the ball, get past opponents for turnovers and make his presence felt from box to box.
Guimaraes has been even better. Offense often runs through him. as his passing range can take the stick out of danger, initiate an attack, or completely unlock a defense. Guimaraes has said he prefers to play later, but Howe has him playing everywhere. The third man in midfield has been a rotation of Longstaff and Willock, and his role has been supportive, with no real defined position. As with defenders, the skills of the players, especially Guimaraes, make Newcastle a threat going forward without sacrificing defensive cover.
Up front, the two full-backs are constantly moving back to help the full-backs. Miguel Almiron can often be seen overlapping with Trippier deep in Newcastle territory, and the pace of Jacob Murphy or Willock allows them to help Burn down the left. Even Allan Saint-Maximin has bought into the system and helps track it down, which previous French wingers Ben Arfa and Robert refused to do. Center forward Callum Wilson doesn’t have a lot of defensive responsibilities, but he can occasionally be found on the edge of his own box in a dangerous situation.
All of this makes Newcastle extremely difficult to play, something Spurs striker Son Heung-min noted after Newcastle’s 2-1 win last Sunday.
If you forget about the defenders, Schar will bring the ball up the middle a la David Luiz. The midfielders are so competent defensively, and the wingers have enough pace, that Newcastle can use high pressure without fear of being too short at the back.
The speed and talent of the wingers also means that their opponents cannot rush into the attack without fear of being hit on the counter. Because of this, they can gain a numerical advantage anywhere on the pitch, making them create the most turnovers per game in the Premier League this season.
Ever since Jack Grealish’s disrespect to Almiron, the Paraguayan has turned his game into Mahrez’s peak, creating havoc whenever he is allowed in from the right wing.
They have been doing it without one of their most talented players, Saint-Maximin, or their new record signing Isak. And even with all the attacking and pressing they do, they have the best defensive record in the league, just 10 goals allowed in 13 games, without the dominance of possession enjoyed by Manchester City or Arsenal.
Are they title contenders? Probably not. But they have just completed a week in which they faced both Manchester United and Spurs on the road and finished with four points, so there’s no reason to think they won’t be able to meet in Europe in 2023 for the first time in a decade. .