When Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) as part of a consortium took over Newcastle United from Mike Ashley in October 2021, the fanbase of the Tyneside club was divided about the takeover.
On one hand, they were relieved to see the end of a particularly traumatic Ashley era, and on the other hand, they were concerned about the club being a vehicle for ‘sports washing’ for the Arab nation.
But one emotion united both sides – the underwhelming feeling over the appointment of Eddie Howe as manager. Howe had failed to rescue Bournemouth from relegation in his last season in the Premier League and Newcastle, at that moment, was also in the red.
Cut to November 4, 2023, a banner in St James’ Park’s East Stand reads “Eddie Howe’s black and white army,” during Newcastle’s statement victory against Premier League rival, Arsenal.
Newcastle does not battle for relegation anymore. It is now competing to find its place among the European elite after its return to Champions League football after 20 years.
And the man behind the turnaround has been Howe.
Style of play
After guiding Newcastle to an 11th-place finish in his first season, Howe completely changed the way it used to play, during an intense pre-season before the 2022-23 campaign.
Howe employs a 4-3-3 formation, pressing high up the pitch and looking to overload opponents with speed and numbers. The idea is to swarm all over opposition teams: hunting the ball in packs and tackling with intent before attacking with various angles and passing patterns on the ball.
The Englishman also worked on the defensive shape of the side to restrict opposition teams from creating chances.
Without the ball, Newcastle becomes compact with a 4-5-1 mid-block with the wide attackers dropping down to add numbers in the midfield while the full-backs stay close to centre-backs.
This helps it surround the opponent to create better pressing and more attacking transitions.
With the ball, generally, the left-back joins the two centre-backs to make a back three while right-back Kieran Trippier, the more attack-minded full-back, moves forward.
The signings of Trippier and Guimaraes were crucial to Howe’s system. | Photo Credit: AP
The wingers tend to invert which affords the overlapping full-backs space to run into for the holding midfielder – usually Bruno Guimaraes – to find them and create attacking moves from wide areas.
When Newcastle plays with striker Alexander Isak, he goes out wide left to create more passing options in the other flank. With the wingers inverting, midfielders occupy spaces in wider areas to drag defenders out of position.
Smart instead of flashy investments
Despite the enormous financial backing of the oil-rich nation-state, the Magpies resisted taking the Qatar-backed Paris Saint-Germain route. Howe prioritised adding the right players over marquee signings.
The signing of Brazilian midfielder Guimaraes and experienced full-back Trippier in the 2022 January transfer window from Lyon and Atletico Madrid, respectively, underlined his philosophy.
READ | Newcastle buoyed by win at Man United - Howe
Despite being linked with the Kylian Mbappes and Neymars of the world, the club signed the likes of Dan Burn, Nick Pope and Matt Targett among others, players who had relatively low profiles.
Under Howe, Newcastle has spent over 290 million pounds in the transfer market on new players. However, it is dwarfed by several Premier League clubs over the same period.
Installing belief in the squad
Although the additions of Swedish forward Alexander Isak, Dutch defender Sven Botman, and Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali improved the squad’s quality, the team’s performance during their absence showed Howe’s capabilities as a coach.
Several players in the Newcastle United squad found a second wind after the arrival of Howe. | Photo Credit: AFP
Players like Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles, Sean Longstaff, Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, and Jacob Murphy, who were branded “trash” by the emotional Magpie fans, have benefited from Howe’s guidance.
Schar has openly attributed the 45-year-old for reviving his Newcastle career.
“It was tough for me here before Eddie arrived. “But, since he’s come in I have felt 100% confidence from him and his team,” the Swiss defender said in a press conference.
The Magpies are exuding new-found confidence and determination under Howe, something which was missing earlier.
This season, Newcastle has already knocked out both Manchester clubs from the Carabao Cup and thrashed PSG 4-1 in the Champions League.
With Howe at the wheel, St. James’ Park is learning to dream again, beyond the mirage of financial might.
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