After the nice, solid victory against Bilbao on Wednesday evening. I have to admit that apart from getting a good three points and putting in a great position in the Champions League, I saw the return of Lewis Hall (as well as the fit Kieran Trippier) as huge positives.
I’m a big believer in Eddie Howe playing with a Newcastle United back five as it can harmonize defense and attack in a way that some other formations simply don’t.
We have certainly seen the end of 4-4-2 in football as it is almost never used as it is considered too open a formation to take risks.
One man’s 5-3-2 is another man’s 3-5-2, or even 5-3-1-1, while depending on the personnel playing, it could also be someone else’s 4-3-3.
Now Eddie Howe has dealt with the latter more routinely and we haven’t done too badly with it. Yes, there have been some anomalies, such as last weekend’s defeat to West Ham, where I could repeatedly look at the team that finished that match and STILL not know what formation we were playing a week later.
Eddie has occasionally signed a Newcastle United Back Five and while I don’t think he would use it excessively, I think we are starting to see a group of players who could fit almost perfectly into such a formation as we have some great full-back candidates in Trippier, Hall and the soon-to-be-fitness Tino Livramento. We also have some great centre-backs to choose from in the back four, but I fear there is an elephant in the room in that regard.
Dan Burn has performed excellently as a left back, he CAN of course play well there, but I think that is far from ideal. He would probably admit himself that he is not the fastest and that the option of a Hall, Tino or even a Trippier would be better at offering a bit more pace across the board. So there’s really no need to play him there unless in an emergency, as we’ve seen in recent weeks. I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with it, but I would look for the best possible option.
We have more than enough players to play with three centre-backs in a five-man Newcastle United back. Take your pick from Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw, Fabian Schar and Dan Burn himself. If someone gets injured during a match, you can still easily drop back to a back four.
This formation also allows options and certainty further forward. Bruno, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali have not often let us down and I have always argued that when Newcastle (or any team) are in charge in midfield, you will get the better results.
A five-man Newcastle United could certainly absorb the pressure from that midfield and we have some pretty good options in Lewis Miley, Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey should Eddie Howe need to change or make substitutions.
Another problem with Newcastle United’s back five is our wingers. Anthony Gordon (now injured) is out of trouble, especially in the home games, and his productivity is poor at the moment.
Harvey Barnes IS the quintessential ‘super sub’ or ‘impact player’, he may not like it but it’s a fact. As for Anthony Elanga, we have an expensive summer signing who cannot make the team. It seems to be another player who will take some time to be ‘Eddie Howe’ ready.
In the middle of all this we have Jacob Murphy. Lord knows what the boy has to do to win the praise of some fans. Score a hat trick every week, I guess.
We are still in transition up front with Big Nick Woltemade, but he has made a great start despite not being a true striker. Could Yoane Wissa’s return bring the German back into his deeper role? Could a Barnes, Gordon, Will Osula or Elanga float behind Wissa if Nick needs to rest? If Woltemade and Wissa could get TWO potentially great goalscorers on the pitch at the same time, something you don’t get with a 4-3-3.
What you DO get with Howe’s favored 4-3-3 is the high pressing that has often worked for us. Can you get it with a 5-3-2/5-3-1-1? I imagine the answer is yes in some sense, but that would be something for someone much better qualified than me to implement successfully. Over to Eddie Howe and his backroom team.
Our domestic league form is faltering at best, but we still have more than enough time to move up the ranks. As an aside, you have to be honest and say that the Mackems have had an excellent start to their season, while the impression was given that we had a poor start. However, there is still only a six point difference and that is NOT a snide comment, it is a fact.
We have the tools to turn this season around after a less than stellar start. But since when are we actually good starters? I seem to remember that we were in a similar situation last season and that we still made a good fist of it in the second half of the season.
We all pretty much know what our best starting XI is in a 4-3-3 and I’m sure Eddie Howe will mix it up as he sees fit in the coming weeks, with European and League Cup campaigns well into Christmas and 2026.
I’d love to hear in the comments section below what player selection other NUFC fans would prefer if he went with a Newcastle United back five. And of course also whether someone does not appreciate that kind of formation at all.
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