A tactical masterclass from Eddie Howe gave Newcastle United victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, as the Toon manager pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes.
It was an emphatic 4-0 win for Newcastle, with goals from Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar earning the Magpies three points that puts them into sixth in the Premier League. In fact, it also gives them an outside chance of coming fifth.
It was an incredible performance from Newcastle, who were tactically spot on despite having a severely weakened team due to injury. Eddie Howe was forced to make two changes to his starting lineup, with Joe Willock and Lewis Hall dropping out for Elliot Anderson and Harvey Barnes.
When the starting XI was announced at 11.30am, it was incredibly difficult to work out who was playing where. It was made even tougher as the team-sheet on social media was displayed in numerical order, rather than position – which is how it is usually presented.
How Newcastle lined up in the warm up before facing Tottenham Hotspur
It was difficult to work out who was playing where, with suggestions that Jacob Murphy was going to play at left-back. And those suggestions became even louder during the warm up as Howe tried to keep his tactics a secret.
Now The Athletic have provided details of the trick Howe pulled ahead of the game to keep his formation a secret.
According to the Athletic, Newcastle had their defence working as a back four during the warm up, with Jacob Murphy at left-back and Emil Krafth at right-back.
How Newcastle really lined up against Tottenham on Saturday
That was actually done as a ploy to keep Howe’s masterplan a secret, as Murphy did not end up playing on the left of defence.
Instead, he had a bit of a hybrid role. In defence, he was a conventional right-back. In attack, he would press forward as if he was a wing-back, with Krafth covering him.
On the opposite flank. Dan Burn acted as a centre-back and a left-back, with Elliot Anderson giving him the defensive cover he needed when Newcastle were out of possession.
It was quite astonishing to watch, and it highlighted how hard Howe had worked with his team in the build up to this game.
The Athletic add that Howe’s plan was presented to the players on Tuesday, before it was then put into motion on the training pitch later that week.
What Howe achieved tactically on Saturday was really impressive. He outthought Ange Postecoglou, while his players were disciplined enough to see out the game plan. And, on top of that, Howe was able to keep it a secret until the moment the game kicked off.
What a manager Newcastle United have in Eddie Howe!
The post Report: What Eddie Howe did in Newcastle warm up on Saturday to surprise Tottenham appeared first on Geordie Boot Boys.