I’ve been round football for quite a while as a player and manager but I have to say I have never witnessed a better tactical master class than Eddie Howe put on to destroy Spurs 4-0.
It knocked them out of the last Champions League place and at the same time opened up all sorts of possibilities for Newcastle United. Ten points collected from the last 12 has given their European hopes the kiss of life. Now they can go on to finish the season with a mighty flourish.
United have six games left and all are winnable. I don’t mean I expect the Magpies to win them all, of course not, but they can win any of them. First up are Crystal Palace in south east London on Wednesday night followed quickly by Sheffield United up here three days later. Let us go for it. What an opportunity this is.
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The way United played against Tottenham they have nothing to fear. They were down to the bare bones in terms of defenders but Howe was innovative and had all the answers. The way his team went man for man in midfield and freed up Jacob Murphy to operate as a right-back, right-sided midfielder, or right winger depending on where the ball was impressed so much. Spurs had no answer – they had plenty of the ball but simply didn’t know what to do with it.
Meanwhile when United won it back they exposed and dismantled Tottenham’s high line. Their front three of Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes had far too much pace for them. It was embarrassing at times . . . if you were a Spurs fan! Bruno and his mates continually dropped the ball behind Spurs’ last line into acres of grass and let their front men stretch their legs. Give Isak, Gordon and Barnes that much space and you are in trouble.
Mind you, there was not a single Newcastle player who had an average game never mind a poor one. Fabian Schar snuffed out the usually dangerous Son, Bruno sprayed the ball around while keeping his discipline, Elliot Anderson showed what a quality player he will become. Need I go on?
By the way as an aside two changes in football law were flagged up to me in the last week. One delighted me – and the other infuriated. Let’s deal with my anger first. The FA are abolishing FA Cup replays from next season. How dare they? In one fell swoop they are ripping the romance out of the world’s oldest and most loved knock out competition.
Not only that, they are literally denying their poorer brethren the sort of cash return which can keep them alive for a couple of seasons. Every smaller club wants to draw Newcastle away not for the tie to be settled on the day but in the hope they can somehow get a replay and fill their own ground. They know the Mags would take anything up to 10,000 fans. What financial joy – and then there are headlines, the PR, the legends created forever. You cannot put a price on that. The FA are devaluing their own competition simply so they can touch their forelock to the Big Six who cry about being too tired to do the country proud in Europe. Grow up and get on with it!
The impending change I do like involves FFP. It is suggested that from the end of next season it will be done away with and replaced by a system where if you overstep your budget you will be heavily fined instead of having points deducted with the money filtering down to the smaller clubs.
How that will benefit Newcastle. All the current restrictions placed upon them which are so unfair will be removed without putting clubs at risk of bankruptcy. Only those who can afford to pay the fines will incur them and United can. Right now their growth is being stunted. Should this idea become law they will be allowed to grow.
By the way I am doing something a bit different this coming week. I am appearing at the Gibside Hotel in Whickham on Tuesday night with magician Chris Cross, who is also a very funny guy. As a football manager I searched the country for a magician. Now I’ve found one. Tickets are a tenner and are available from chris-cross.co.uk
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/never-seen-better-tactical-masterclass-29023407
