It’s been a huge summer of change at Newcastle United.
Not only as Eddie Howe been replaced by Matthias Jaissle, but several key players have left the club including Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
Those departures have left some serious gaps in midfield and although the arrivals of Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba offer some hope for the future, there’s now a clear lack of top-level experience in the centre of the park.
This issue was made more clear than ever during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool. Newcastle started in midfield with the 18 year old Steur and 20 year old academy graduate Miley, who was replaced by fellow 20 year old Bamba after 56 minutes.
With Wednesday’s news that the club have tabled a bid for Manchester City’s Nico Gonzalez we take a look at how the Spaniard could fit into Jaissle’s plans at St James’ Park this season.
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In this article we’ll cover:
Control in and out of possession
Many aspects of Newcastle’s performance against Liverpool on Sunday were indeed impressive. The Magpies were desperately unlucky to only come out of the game with a draw after a late penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai rescued a point for the Reds – but it also raised some serious questions that Jaissle will need to answer.
Jaissle’s style of play with Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League suggests that he aligns with the current tactical meta in the Premier League – that is to not rely to heavily on possession. And of course, the strength of opposition in Liverpool has to be taken into account. However, this was a very defence-first, counter-attacking performance.
Newcastle attempted 53 long balls of 32 metres or more and offered very little in the way of a press. They made zero regains of the ball in the attacking third and just 13 in the middle third. And possession-wise it went the way you’d expect, with the Magpies having less than 40% of the share of the ball.
This is fine against the stronger teams in the league, but in Gonzalez, Jaissle will now have a player at his disposal capable of offering more control in possession. The 24 year old attempted over 75 passes per game last season with an accuracy of 90.36% and he’s progressive with that passing too – playing 18.9 forward passes per 90 minutes last term.
Against weaker sides who will look to limit their counter-attacking opportunities, Newcastle will need to force the issue more and Gonzalez has the quality to exert that pressure in possession. He also completed over 70% of his take-ons last season – showing a capability to turn safe possession into a dangerous attack.
How does he compare to the departed duo?
It would be unfair to ask any midfielder to come in and replace either of Newcastle’s departed midfielders at a fraction of the price.
Sandro Tonali has one of the most complete midfield profiles in the league while Bruno Guimaraes has been a talismanic figure at St James’ Park in recent seasons and ended last season as the club’s top goalscorer and assist-maker in the Premier League. The Brazilian also won the club’s Player of the Year award.
However, as the below Comparison Matrix shows, there’s reason to be optimistic here for the Toon Army.
The St James’ Park faithful are unlikely to see quite as much attacking impetus and creativity from Gonzalez. The 24 year old made zero assists last season and created just 0.7 chances per 90 in comparison to Tonali’s 1.2 and Guimaraes’ 1.7. However, Jaissle’s preference for a 4-2-3-1 means there’s less pressure on central midfielders to be the creative force. Yoane Wissa turned in a threatening performance in the number 10 role in Sunday’s draw with the Reds.
And while Gonzalez as expected ranks higher in the more safe passing statistics, it is perhaps surprising to see how well he compares defensively. The ex-Porto man made 2.5 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per 90 minutes last season which ranks him higher than both Tonali and Guimaraes. This despite playing in a more possession-focused team in Manchester City.
This will give Jaissle confidence. Gonzalez is the kind of player who can flit between roles depending on opposition. When the German boss configures his side to try and beat stronger opponents, he clearly has the capability to be a ball-winner who can spring into action to play a forward pass when required. However, he also has the patience and skill to set the tempo when needed against weaker opponents.
Dovetailing with current options
And with the midfield options he has next to him, it’s clear to see where that kind of profile may be needed in a switch to a 4-2-3-1. This shape often allows for the two deeper lying midfielders to act as ball-winners and playmakers from deeper positions rather than needing to actively force the issue in an attacking sense.
But with Guimaraes and Tonali gone, not only has an attacking impetus been taken away from the midfield but also a sense of quality in possession. While Joelinton, the club’s new vice-captain, has his strengths, they do lie more in the combative side of the game than in his quality on the ball.
Miley is similar. The 20 year old is a genuine beast in emerging successful from ground duels but he is not the most progressive passer of the ball. In the draw with Liverpool, the duo of Miley and Steur made a total of just four passes into the opposition third.
In fact, Steur made just two accurate passes in the opposition half against Liverpool. One for the future, Steur was thrown into the deep end in that game due to Joelinton’s injury and a lack of transfer business. However, it’s a clear deficiency in this midfield that needs fixing.
The 18 year old Ajax academy graduate showed serious potential in the Eredivisie last season and is probably likely to take minutes from Gonzalez in rotation more often than he is to partner him – but he’ll be a valuable resource to learn alongside as well.
At first glance, Newcastle’s midfield may appear less effective than last season. However, the change of shape could give them more control and free up their attacking players to be more creative. Gonzalez would be a perfect fit here as an adaptable, possession-focused midfielder capable of changing roles dependent on opposition.