Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe made a big change to his team against Manchester City, but it did not work.
The Magpies were beaten 2-0 by Man City, with their FA Cup journey coming to an end for another year. There was nothing wrong with Newcastle’s attitude at the Etihad, but sadly they never looked like winning.
Pep Guardiola’s team were too good, while a tactical change by Eddie Howe failed to have the desired effect.
Newcastle normally use a 4-3-3 system under Howe, but he shifted to a back five on Saturday. Jamaal Lascelles came into the team to be the third centre-back, while Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy were used as wing-backs.
Sadly, it did not contribute towards a famous FA Cup victory for Newcastle, even though it was a change that Howe had been working on for a long time.
Eddie Howe has been working on Newcastle tactical change for months
According to the Athletic, Newcastle have been trialling a back five system in training since the start of the year, with Eddie Howe considering making the tactical change for months.
For so long he has opted against it, until now. He went with a 5-3-2 formation against Man City, but it did not really work.
It will be interesting to see if Howe uses the system again this season, as it is a change he has rarely made since becoming Toon manager. We did witness the tweak against Aston Villa in January, but that was to help see out a lead after going 3-1 up.
We are yet to see how Newcastle’s five at the back system would work from an offensive point of view, and it is something we might never witness. Considering our next two games are at home and we will be expected to be on the front foot, it is difficult to envision Howe sticking with a back five.
But it is something Howe has been working on, as he continues to look for an answer to Newcastle’s struggles.
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