Newcastle’s path to improving might be as easy as giving more playing time to a couple of specific players.
The Magpies have been nearing a crisis to start the new season. They did manage to stop the bleeding by drawing 1-1 at Fulham on Saturday, but have won just one of their last six, a run that includes four defeats.
It’s a surprising outcome after their promising first few games, against the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
However, it was always going to be a difficult job for Matthias Jaissle to turn things around after how many players left and joined during the transfer window.
Though things might not be looking too bright right now, just a couple of adjustments to their lineups could do the trick. And, in fairness, the German manager seems to be somewhat flexible and willing to make them.
What can Matthias Jaissle do to improve Newcastle?
Steur bossing the midfield
Jaissle has already addressed this one and has even made the change. He said publicly that he needed to find away for Sean Steur and Nico Gonzalez to play together – and they both started in a double pivot against Fulham.
Steur has long been one of the most lucid Newcastle players in possession. He has stood out quite easily in a very rigid and uninspired Magpies side that relies on fast breaks way too heavily.
It took Jaissle a while to figure out how to best use him in midfield. He had both Steur and Gonzalez pressing in their man-to-man scheme high up the pitch, almost as centre-forwards, but initiating build-up almost as centre-backs. This is a difficult and very demanding role physically, which did not get the best out of the young Dutchman.
However, instead of splitting Dan Burn and Malick Thiaw in a 3+1 type of build-up scheme in the first half, Steur mostly stayed on the double pivot alongside Gonzalez, ahead of the four defenders in a 4+2 look to start the second half.
Newcastle even went as far as having 55% possession 10 minutes into the second half. But Fulham took back control precisely when Steur left the game after taking a hit from Sander Berge and had to wait 60 seconds to return. The Cottagers played 11v10 during that minute and dominated most of the game from then on.
Newcastle’s second-half structure allowed Steur to have more touches going forward, where he feels more comfortable and impacts the game more. Of his 16 touches in the attacking half during the game, 10 of them came in the second half. And he was subbed off in the 74th minute.
The Dutchman had already led the Magpies in line-breaking passes in the final third against Everton, despite coming on in the 64th minute.
Steur ranks first among all Newcastle players this season in passing accuracy (91%), third in touches (76.9) and line-breaking passes (9.3) per 90 minutes. Not to mention third among midfielders in defensive contributions per90 (9.3), behind Lewis Miley (12.0) and Jacob Ramsey (11.2).
More minutes for Toure
Another player who fans are begging to have more opportunities is Bazoumana Toure.
He was an unused sub for the fourth time against Fulham, but wreaked havoc in his cameo against Everton the previous gameweek.
The Ivorian does have good players in front of him in the pecking order. Harvey Barnes is their main source of danger from Jaissle’s preferred fast breaks, scoring worldies and getting into good goalscoring positions. Jacob Murphy is also very important to their scheme by whipping dangerous crosses into the box and tracking back. It was his long-range effort that put them in front against the Cottagers as well.
But Toure still ranks first among all Newcastle players across all competitions this season in a number of metrics, on a per90 basis. He is also second in tackles (2.4) and third in chances created (1.9).
Newcastle could definitely use his pace and skills down the wings in the chaotic nature of Jaissle’s game. The Fulham game was a good example of how the German would probably like them to play, spending less time with the ball but being dangerous in their few opportunities in the final third.