Newcastle have a clear preferred flank to attack but still manage to access dangerous zones and create good chances from everywhere.
The Magpies are enjoying life under new manager Matthias Jaissle. The German has implemented a highly intense and vertical style that is making for many entertaining football matches.
They both scored and conceded 2+ goals in three of their first four games across all competitions this season. It also included two nail-biting 2-2 draws featuring late equalisers against Liverpool and Bournemouth.
In fact, Newcastle are one of just two sides to have scored 2+ goals in four different Premier League matches so far. The only other are Brighton and Hove Albion, who sit third in the table, being one of the best success stories of the campaign.
But there is a slight twist as to how they are able to do all that. Let’s dig in.
How are Newcastle able to vary attacking actions despite one preferred flank?
Focus on the left wing
Jaissle has a clear side in which he places most of his attacking focus. A left flank featuring combinations between Lewis Hall, Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock has seen them create a lot of danger to opponents.
So much so that they are three of the only five Magpies players to have contributed directly to 2+ goals. The others are Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa.
The left side has been their preferred one in every single Premier League game so far. 42.4% of their attacking actions have come from the left flank, which is the third most of any side, behind only Everton (46.2%) and Fulham (42.5%).
This was very much on display during their last game, in the 2-1 win over Hull City. Left-winger Harvey Barnes provided both assists, each for one of his left-sided teammate: left-centre-midfielder Joe Willock for the opener and Lewis Hall for the second.
And despite being the side which Newcastle exploits the most in their attacks, the left flank is not where most of their chances come from.
Ability to shift back inside
That is because their movements are usually very well coordinated. Jaissle likes to have a line of four to five players in the forward line spread throughout the whole width of the pitch.
This helps to stretch the opposing defensive line and makes it easier to move the ball around than when there are multiple players occupying the same spaces.
In terms of width, Hall and Barnes have very similar – nearly identical – positioning. But they alternate between receiving the ball out wide holding the width while the other tucks inside looking to attack the opposing half space.
As a result, despite using the left flank in 42.4% of their attacking actions, Newcastle actually create most of their chances from the central corridor (41.2%).
Whether it’s due to Lewis Hall’s underlapping runs or central positioning to balance the forward line or Harvey Barnes’ ball carries, the Magpies are highly capable of turning left-sided plays into central touches.
This is extremely important seeing as the middle of the pitch is the most dangerous zone in football. Especially for a team that likes to attack in transition and fast breaks, forcing opponents to run backwards.
So Newcastle rank third in attacking down the left (42.4% of their actions), but also sixth in creating down the middle (41.2% of their shot assists).
In fact, the rest of their chance creation is equally shared between the left and right flanks (29.4% each). Which is a nice segway into our next topic of discussion.
Use of the right flank
The right flank is the “forgotten side” in Newcastle’s attacks. But they are able to cause opponents just as much danger from there as the other flanks.
The best example of that is their game against Tottenham. Nico Gonzalez splitting the centre-backs and using his long passing to target Amar Dedic’s and Anthony Elanga’s runs in behind was the formula to success.
So much so that the pair combined not only to score the opener in the 62nd minute, but in what was an exact replica of one their second attacking play of the game, just 30 seconds in.
Elanga and Dedic were also extremely active in their Premier League opener this season, against Liverpool. The Swede scored from a fast break down the right and their very next attempt was Dedic crashing the box unmarked from the right touchline while Elanga kept Milos Kerkez and Cody Gakpo busy.
Overall, Matthias Jaissle has both wingers and full-backs spending most of their time out wide. After all, they have the third lowest percentage of attacking actions down the middle (23.7%), ahead only of, again, Hull (23.0%) and Everton (23.2%).
So all of their heat maps (Hall, Dedic, Barnes, Elanga) are similar in terms of mostly holding the width rather than tucking inside. However, they take turns at doing those two things without the ball, which doesn’t manifest in any type of graphic representation of data.