Cristian Romero saved Tottenham from the jaws of defeat away at Newcastle with an awkward bicycle kick late on.
Newcastle took the game to Tottenham at St. James’ Park but failed to build momentum off of their wins vs Everton and Manchester City.
Spurs, on the other hand, couldn’t break their win drought – now at five games across all competitions. The draw left both teams level on points with the exact same record in the Premier League (W5 D4 L5). Totenham are ahead on goal difference at 11th with Brentford between them.
Thomas Frank’s men will certainly enjoy the result more, but it served no purpose for either team in the table.
What were the common themes throughout Newcastle 2-2 Tottenham?
Opposite styles
Newcastle and Tottenham went into the game with completely different mindsets. The hosts were trying to add pace, while the visitors wanted none of it.
For most of the encounter, it felt like Spurs were one step behind, always chasing after the ball and the Magpies. It was Eddie Howe’s men who dictated the terms of the match.
Dabble sign-up offer: Bet £10+ & Receive £10 In Free Bets
Not signed up to Dabble yet? Here's how to claim the Bet £10+ & Receive £10 In Free Bets welcome offer:
- Sign up to Dabble through this link
- Register your account with accurate personal details
- Place your first bet of £10 or more
- Receive your £10 in free bets when your qualifying bet has setted
- Use your Free Bet on any eligible sportsbook market within 7 days
#AD 18+ 7-day free bet expiry. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. GambleAware.org
They recovered the ball in open play in the final third a whopping 11 times today – by far their most in a game this season across all competitions. The next closest was eight vs Benfica in the Champions League.
That was one thing Newcastle had going basically at all times. Thomas Frank’s strategy to try and reach the attacking half by having the forwards receive passes facing their own goal with a defender closing down certainly helped. It’s impossible to progress the ball like this.
Mohammed Kudus lost possesion a game-high 16 times because of this. However, he was crucial to what Spurs do best – which brings us to the next topic.
Same old Tottenham
This was very much a game Tottenham have played many times this season. Poor performance, mostly running after the ball and watching the opponent play, but somehow winning points.
A brace from a centre-back also sounds familiar. Only four have managed this feat in the Premier League this season and two of them did it for Spurs: Cristian Romero vs Newcastle, Micky van de Ven vs Everton.
But the more important and ‘tactical’ part of it was how they scored. Tottenham have found the net from crosses a league-high six times this campaign, alongside Chelsea. Romero’s first goal came precisely this way, but not in a ‘cohesive’ way. He stayed up front after a failed corner kick and headed in Kudus’ cross.
Then, he awkwardly bicycle-kicked a loose ball inside the box and somehow scored from it. He very much let his side off the hook in what should have been a loss.
Newcastle’s Premier League struggles continue
It looked like Newcastle were going to finally get a good run of results in the Premier League. They’re still unbeaten in their last three, but dropped two massive points at home to Tottenham.
Eddie Howe rotated his squad a little and they did enough to win even without the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon. But it was them who created the Magpies’ first goal.
And it was way less ‘random’ than Spurs’. The Magpies are at their best pushing the pace up and having space to run into. Harvey Barnes managed to do that during his time on the pitch, but Gordon made it count in the lead-up to Guimaraes’ beautiful strike.
Newcastle produced over two expected goals, had two attempts cleared off the line and hit the post once. Granted, they might have been lucky to be awarded the penalty, but created enough to leave with all three points elsewhere.
Still, they struggled mightily creating chances excluding fast breaks and quick recoveries and even allowed Spurs to take control of the game in the second half for a brief period.
Inverted roles
In this 10-minute stretch, Tottenham had more possession and asserted themselves in the attacking half. Still, they mainly looked to strangle the game, taking the ball from the final third back to centre-backs and goalkeeper, looking to engage Newcastle’s press and then hit them on the counter.
This eventually led to them going long and losing possession, so their sequences were mainly short. I personally have given Thomas Frank somewhat of a ‘leeway’ considering all the injuries and what he has available right now. But this wasn’t the first time his decisions harmed the team’s chances of winning.
As for Newcastle, both goals they conceded were rather avoidable – especially the second. They did perform well enough to win so it feels like they are on the right track. But Eddie Howe also has some things to adjust.