How Newcastle boss Howe improved defensively to solidify high-flying Magpies
What a difference a year makes. 12 months ago, Newcastle United were second-bottom of the Premier League.
They had just been thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City, after which Pep Guardiola rubbed salt into black-and-white wounds by criticising his team’s performance. Relegation looked like a genuine possibility, despite the recent appointment of Eddie Howe and the club’s controversial takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
A year later and Newcastle have much loftier ambitions. When the 2022/23 season resumes on Boxing Day, the Magpies have the chance to move above Manchester City and into second place by beating Leicester City. This is a team that looks like genuine top-four contenders.
That is surprising enough. Even more unexpected is the way Newcastle have done it. The main black mark against Howe’s record at Bournemouth was the team’s defensive record. At Newcastle, that is his side’s biggest strength.
No team in the division has conceded as few goals as the Magpies, whose backline has been breached on just 11 occasions. This is no fluke. Newcastle rank 16th for shots conceded per game with 11.1.
Only Liverpool, Brighton, Arsenal and Manchester City are allowing fewer attempts on goal than Howe’s side, who have kept seven clean sheets in 15 Premier League games. They registered yet another shut-out on Tuesday, beating Bournemouth 1-0 in the Carabao Cup.
This is quite the difference from their manager’s time with the Cherries. Even in the south coast side’s greatest ever season, a ninth-placed finish in 2016/17, they were leaky defensively. The Cherries shipped 67 goals that campaign, more than any team bar Swansea City, Watford, Hull City and Sunderland – two of whom were relegated. Similarly, only four teams gave up more shots per game than Bournemouth’s 14.5.
The trend continued throughout their five-year stay in the top tier under Howe. Bournemouth conceded the third-most goals (65) and the fourth-most shots (14.7) when they were relegated in 2019/20. They found the net more often than ninth-placed Sheffield United that season, but still went down.
How to make sense of the dramatic turnaround? The most obvious explanation is that Newcastle have better defenders than Bournemouth did.
Even in the Premier League, Howe relied on players who had been with him in League One: Steve Cook, Simon Francis and Charlie Daniels, plus Adam Smith who joined in the Championship. Of the centre-backs he worked with throughout his time at the Vitality Stadium, only Nathan Ake would be a contender to start for Newcastle. In current form, the Dutchman wouldn't even be guaranteed first choice for the Magpies
Although they have largely steered clear of marquee signings, the club’s Saudi owners have pumped in huge amounts of cash. Newcastle spent more than any other club in world football last January. The summer was a bit quieter, but they still splashed out more than £100m on new additions.
In Nick Pope, Newcastle have one of the best shotstoppers in the Premier League between the sticks. Sven Botman and the underrated Fabian Schar - among centre-backs who have played more than half of their team’s matches, the Swiss ranks eighth for interceptions per 90 minutes - have formed a solid partnership at the heart of the backline. Kieran Trippier is a Champions League-level right-back, while Dan Burn and Matt Targett offer two different profiles on the other flank.
It would be wrong, however, to focus only on the back five. Newcastle’s solidity is a triumph of the collective. As illustrated by the relatively few shots they give up, the Magpies have excelled at keeping the action away from their own penalty area, rather than making last-ditch efforts to repel opposition attacks.
Pope (1.1) ranks sixth for saves per 90 minutes from shots taken outside the box, but only 15th for shots from inside the penalty area (1.7). This further demonstrates Newcastle’s ability to restrict opponents’ chances close to goal.
They do this thanks to a well-organised, coherent pressing game. Newcastle’s counter-pressing has been especially impressive. The Magpies routinely win the ball back quickly after losing it, allowing them to sustain attacks and pin back their opponents. This has proved particularly effective at St James’ Park, where the team and the fans feed off each other’s energy.
Perhaps the biggest lesson to draw from this is the fact that coaches, like players, are capable of ironing out weaknesses and becoming more rounded. Howe’s Bournemouth were undoubtedly porous at the back, but that does not mean the manager is inherently and chronically unable to produce a side with a resolute rearguard.
Howe has clearly learned from his experiences at the Vitality, and he is now putting those lessons to good use at St James’ Park. Needless to say, Newcastle supporters are grateful for it.
