The Football Analyst Eddie Howe’s transformation of Newcastle United has been nothing short of remarkable, blending tactical innovation with a solid defensive structure. Known for his ability to maximize player potential, Howe has crafted a team that combines high-intensity pressing with fluid attacking play. By integrating a mix of disciplined defending and quick transitions, Newcastle has evolved into one of the Premier League’s most tactically versatile sides. This analysis delves into the key strategies and formations that define Howe’s Newcastle, shedding light on the tactical principles driving their success on the pitch.
Build-up
Eddie Howe sets his team up in a 1-4-3-3 formation in the build-up, with a back four, one number-six, two number-eights, and a front three.
Building up in a 1-4-3-3 formation focuses on creating a solid foundation at the back while maintaining fluidity and options in the midfield. The formation begins with four defenders, who provide width and stability, allowing for controlled possession from deep areas. The single defensive midfielder connects the defense to the midfield, dictating the tempo and distributing the ball to the two more advanced central midfielders. These midfielders position themselves to exploit spaces between the opposition’s lines, creating passing triangles that facilitate smooth progression up the pitch. The three forwards, with the central striker as the focal point, are always ready to receive the ball, either through direct passes or by making runs behind the defense. This setup allows the team to transition quickly from attack to defense, maintaining pressure on the opponent while ensuring defensive coverage.
Rotations
The Newcastle players constantly rotate during the build-up. The team adopts a dynamic approach, shifting between formations to create numerical advantages and exploit spaces. Eddie Howe’s focus is always to get the players into their best positions, where they can make the most out of their individual skills. He emphasizes versatility, with players interchanging positions seamlessly to maintain possession and disrupt the opposition’s defensive structure. This flexibility creates numerical superiorities in different areas, allowing Newcastle to bypass the opposition’s press while maintaining control.
Their most common rotation is to come in with one of the fullbacks and push the other one up. This shift creates a back three, allowing them to maintain defensive stability while gaining more control in possession.
By doing this, Newcastle not only widen the field but also open up different angles for passing, making it easier to beat the opposition’s press. This tactical adjustment gives them more options in progressing the ball up the field and disrupts the opponent’s pressing structure, helping them maintain fluidity in their play.
Striker Dropping
In Eddie Howe’s tactical system, the striker, Alexander Isak, frequently drops deep during the build-up phase to create numerical superiority in midfield. This movement is pivotal as it allows Isak to act as a link between the midfield and the attack, drawing defenders out of position and creating space for his teammates to exploit.
Alexander Isak’s ability to drop deep and receive the ball in the build-up play is a crucial aspect of his game. This skill allows him to link up effectively with midfielders and wingers, creating a fluid and dynamic attacking unit. When Isak drops low, he often draws defenders out of position, opening up space for his teammates to exploit. His vision and passing accuracy enable him to distribute the ball efficiently, often initiating dangerous attacking moves. Additionally, Isak’s strength and ball control help him hold up play under pressure, allowing Newcastle to maintain possession and build attacks methodically.
Balls in Behind
Newcastle’s attackers consistently make aggressive runs in behind the opposition defense whenever the central midfielders have the ball. This movement is a key aspect of their offensive strategy, designed to stretch the defensive line and create space. As the midfielders advance, the forwards will run in behind the opposition backline, exploiting gaps between defenders and allowing themselves to receive well-placed through-balls. The coordination between the midfielders and attackers makes Newcastle’s offense unpredictable and difficult to defend against.
Additionally, this constant threat prevents the opposition from playing with a high backline and closing the space between the lines. Instead, they have to drop the backline and protect the space in behind. This opens the space in front of the backline for the Newcastle midfielders to exploit.
Numerical Advantage Against the Opposition Backline
Another massive aspect of Newcastle’s high build-up is their ability to create numerical advantages against the opposition’s defensive line. The two number-eights will often move up into the forward line, creating a 1-4-1-5 formation.
This gives Newcastle a front five. Playing with a front five means the forward line naturally becomes numerically superior against a back four, which Howe’s players are great at taking advantage of.
They mainly exploit this by creating 2v1 situations against the opposition fullback. When the defending team is positioned on one side, the weak-side fullback becomes vulnerable to the long switch of play due to the 1v2 against Newcastle’s winger and number-eight. Newcastle’s number-eight will often make a run in behind, forcing the fullback to follow that run and opening the space for the winger out wide. Howe’s team often capitalizes on this by getting the ball to the winger and creating many opportunities from 2v1 situations on the wing and in the half-spaces.
Final Third
Overlaps
Newcastle have effectively used overlaps as a key tactic to create goal-scoring opportunities under Eddie Howe. This involves wide players, usually fullbacks, making forward runs to get around their winger, providing an extra attacking option on the flanks. By doing so, they create a 2v1 situation with the winger against the opposition fullback, which could be used to beat the fullback and create crossing opportunities.
Newcastle’s wingers often initiate the play by attracting the opposition fullback, leaving space for an overlapping fullback to exploit. The overlap forces the defending fullback to make difficult decisions—either stick with the winger or follow the overlapping fullback. If the opposition fullback drops to cover the overlapping run, the winger could cut inside, taking a shot or combining with a midfielder. If the fullback covers the center, the ball can easily be played to the overlapping player, creating a crossing opportunity.
When executed well, this tactic allows Newcastle to overload the wide areas, often pulling defenders out of position and creating space in the box. The fullback then has the option to deliver a cross or cut-back, aiming for the Newcastle attackers in the box, who thrive on these deliveries. This use of overlaps has been a crucial element of Eddie Howe’s attacking strategy, adding variety to Newcastle’s offensive play and increasing their threat in the final third.
Underlaps
Newcastle will also use underlaps to produce opportunities in the final third. They primarily do this from the wide areas with runs from the number-eights into the space between the opposition fullback and center-back.
When the winger receives the ball out wide he will attract the opposition fullback. This opens the space between the fullback and the center-back, which allows Newcastle’s number-eight to make the underlapping run into this space. The ball can be played to the underlapping player, who can cross the ball into the box or attack his defender in a 1v1 situation.
The winger does not have to play the ball to the underlapping player. The run from the number-eight will often drag away an opposition defensive midfielder, which opens the space inside. The winger can take the ball inside and shoot or find a pass to a free player in front of the backline.
Many Players in the Box
The midfielders and wingers always look to make runs into the box when the ball is in the final third, often getting four or five players into these areas to create overloads. The numerical advantages in the box increase the chances of connecting with the cross, as more players present multiple targets for the crosser, making it harder for defenders to mark everyone effectively. Additionally, having multiple players in the box provides options for different types of finishes, whether it’s a header, volley, or a quick tap-in. It also allows for better positioning to react to second balls or rebounds, increasing the likelihood of capitalizing on any defensive errors.
Howe also positions many players outside the box, ready for the second balls and cut-backs. Newcastle will often create crossing opportunities, which pushes down the opposition’s defense and opens the space in front of the opposition’s backline. The holding midfielders can collect any loose balls or be found directly in these spaces with cut-backs, and from there, they can shoot or combine with an attacker to create goalscoring opportunities.
Defending
High Press
Eddie Howe places much value on being aggressive without the ball. This shows in Newcastle’s high pressure. Howe usually wants his team to go man-to-man and intensely press the opposition. Each player is assigned a direct opponent to mark tightly, ensuring no easy passing options are available. This intense pressure forces the opposing team into hurried decisions, often resulting in turnovers in dangerous areas. Newcastle almost use their high press as an attacking threat, scoring many goals from winning the ball high up the pitch.
In a man-to-man system, it becomes crucial that the players know when to mark the opponent they are responsible for and when not to. If an opponent, for example, is very far from the ball, the Newcastle player marking him does not need to be as close to him. He can instead come in and help create numerical superiorities in the center, decreasing the risk of dangerous 1v1 situations. A rule of thumb for the players could be that the closer you are to the ball, the closer you need to be to your opponent. The further away you are from the ball, the further away you can be from your opponent.
Low Press
Newcastle’s base formation when defending is the 1-4-5-1 formation. They look to set up in a mid/low-block, always trying to close the center and force the opposition out wide. Defending in a 1-4-5-1 formation is centered around maintaining a compact and organized structure that makes it difficult for the opposition to penetrate through the middle. The back four stays narrow and disciplined to protect the central areas. Meanwhile, the midfield line of five works in unison to press the opposition, forcing them wide where the fullbacks can engage. The lone striker remains high, ready to apply pressure on the ball when it enters the defensive zones.
Newcastle’s work rate when defending is exceptional, defined by relentless energy and discipline. Under Eddie Howe, the team is organized and compact, with every player contributing to defensive duties. The midfield and forward lines press with intensity, closing down spaces and forcing opponents into uncomfortable positions. Newcastle’s backline remains focused, consistently tracking runs and maintaining their shape. When a defender breaks out of the shape to put pressure on an opposition player, a Newcastle midfielder will always drop into the backline to cover for his teammate.
They will mainly do this to close the space between the center-back and the fullback. By having a midfielder step into these gaps, Newcastle can maintain their defensive shape, prevent overloads, and provide additional cover for their fullbacks, especially when the fullbacks are pushed out wide.
This compactness ensures that the team stays solid defensively, making it harder for the opposition to break through with wide or central attacks. Additionally, central midfielders covering these spaces allow the center-backs to stay in the box in crossing situations.
Squeezing the Pitch
Additionally, Howe always wants his team to squeeze the pitch when defending. This means constantly pushing the team up as much as possible. Every time the opponent plays a slow, sideways pass or a back pass, Newcastle’s first line of pressure pushes up, with the rest of the team following to stay compact. When the next pass comes, they push up even more, forcing the opponent back even more. They do this because it pushes the opponent further away from the Newcastle goal, making it harder to create chances.
Transitions
Defensive Transitions
Newcastle are great in defensive transitions. They usually have many players centrally, which creates good conditions for counterpressing. Many players close to the ball after losing possession means that many players can work towards regaining possession. Howe’s players are also very aggressive in the first seconds after losing the ball. The four or five players closest will immediately jump on the opposition player with the ball and close the distance to cut off any passing lanes. This approach disrupts the opponent’s transition from defense to attack, forcing errors and creating opportunities to regain control in dangerous areas.
Counterpressing like this keeps Newcastle on the front foot, allowing them to dominate possession and create more scoring opportunities. However, it requires exceptional fitness, tactical discipline, and teamwork.
Offensive Transitions
Eddie Howe also wants his team to counterattack in their offensive transitions. When winning the ball back, the team transitions quickly from defense to attack, utilizing the speed and movement of their forward players. Howe emphasizes vertical passes to exploit spaces left by the opposition, often targeting wide areas or gaps between defenders. Newcastle’s counterattacks are well-organized, with players making intelligent off-the-ball runs to create overloads and support the ball carrier. The wingers and striker will immediately start running toward the opposition goal when a teammate wins the ball. This quick, direct style catches opponents off guard, making Newcastle a dangerous team on the break.
Additionally, Newcastle’s aggressiveness means they have many players high up when defending, which enables them to incorporate more players into the counterattacks.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Eddie Howe’s tactical approach at Newcastle has transformed the team into a disciplined and dynamic force. His emphasis on a solid defensive structure, combined with intelligent pressing and quick transitions, has made Newcastle difficult to break down and lethal on the counterattack. The team’s adaptability in formation and commitment to high-energy play has been key to their success under Howe’s leadership.
Newcastle’s improvement on both sides of the ball reflects Howe’s modern football philosophy, blending organization with attacking freedom. As the team continues to grow under his guidance, they are becoming a formidable presence in the Premier League.
