2. Dream Start For Tonali & Eddie Howe's Mags
Exploring how and why Newcastle were able to dismantle Aston Villa 5-1
A Perfect Start
Many supporters were hopeful of a positive result before Newcastle took on Aston Villa on Saturday tea-time, but nobody could predict the way the match would end up. Newcastle absolutely rattled Villa’s cage and the shockwaves from the Magpies will be felt throughout the league.
There were so many great performances in black & white and although there were moments when the match was close, in the end the attacking forces in the team stole the headlines. And debutant Sandro Tonali in particular has been, rightly, singled out for praise in what will go down as one of the all time best debuts in club history.
So what is it that makes Newcastle United so hard to play against in 2023?
A Fluid System
Whenever he’s been asked about integrating new signings this summer, Eddie Howe has often referenced that the system he implements is not straight forward. It is complex and requires time to study, learn and adapt to it. It also requires exceptional levels of fitness.
But what makes the system difficult to master, for players?
Anthony Gordon is the only true example we have of a first team player coming in, mid-season, into Howe’s team and pushing for a place. The team in January 2023, when Gordon arrived, were already playing at an extremely high level and had been all season.
In Howe’s first season, as the team battled relegation, he had started to put his philosophy into place but it wasn't really until the 2022/23 season kicked off that Howe had the team playing exactly how he wanted them to be playing.
This meant that for Gordon, arriving from Everton in January 2023 for £45m, he didn’t have the smoothest transition into the team at Newcastle. This is not a slight on Gordon in any way, more a way of highlighting the issues new players may face when joining the current version of Newcastle United.
Probably the most important aspect of Eddie Howe’s system is that players have to be extremely fit. Players need to be prepared to run themselves into the ground as the pressing element - when out of possession - is vital to the whole thing.
For Anthony Gordon, when he appeared on Tyneside, his fitness he brought from Everton was nowhere near where it needed to be. Something Gordon acknowledged himself towards the end of the season.
Additionally, Howe’s system is complex because it is extremely fluid.
It’s not simply a case of having a position and sticking to it; it’s about being able to play in related roles depending on what the opposition is doing. It’s about knowing where to be in possession and out of possession.
That’s not to say it’s a free for all, far from it. There is intense discipline required to know and understand where you should be at any given moment. A lot of teams simply don’t operate to this level, only the truly elite teams do it. And to be able to do it effectively you need the best players and a deep squad.
To see it in action is a beautiful thing. It’s mesmerising to watch Newcastle transition from defence to attack following a turnover.
Taking Gordon as an example one last time, what Eddie Howe was asking of him when he first arrived probably felt massively complicated and more in depth than what he’d been used to at Everton. He wasn’t terrible for Newcastle in the back end of last season but he knew he needed to do more. And so he committed to going away, getting fitter and understanding what Eddie Howe wanted him to do.
Admittedly, at this point we have a small sample size of a few pre-season matches and one Premier League game, it’s fair to say that Gordon looks far more threatening already. He has an assist to his name and caused Aston Villa all types of problems, especially in the first half.
It took Gordon 6-7 months to get himself into the right physical condition and headspace to operate in an Eddie Howe team effectively.
Why am I talking about this then?
Well, I wanted to put into perspective just how impressive Sandro Tonali’s debut performance was at the weekend.
Not only did Tonali start the game, making his full home debut in the process, he scored a goal and was Man Of The Match too. To do all this after arriving from Italy a few weeks earlier and in his first competitive Premier League match against a side tipped to finish in the top 6 is astounding. Slotting staright into Howe’s system with seemingly no issues whatsoever speaks volumes for the level at which Tonali can play.
Yes, Tonali benefitted from a pre-season, something Gordon didn't have the luxury of when he first arrived. But Tonali came from another country, doesn't speak the language yet and had never played a single minute of Premier League football before. To put in the performance he did, against a good Aston Villa side, was nothing short of incredible.
The midfield trio of Tonali, Bruno and Joelinton played so intelligently. If one player stepped up, the other two (sometimes only one) would hold back for protection whilst the wingers overlapped and made the pitch wider.
In transition, the determination to either track back and press when defending or find space and move forward when attacking was utterly relentless. To do this successfully during the first match of the season when fitness levels aren’t quite at peak level, was pleasing. Something Howe himself was pleased with, mentioning it in several after match interviews.
Tonali in particular never stops moving. Watching what he does off the ball is almost as exciting as seeing what he does with the ball. This point is highlighted perfectly by the goal he scored after just 6 minutes of his debut.
Anthony Gordon had linked up well with Joelinton down the left and whipped in a wonderful cross with his left foot which fell beautifully into the space between Mings, who had been pulled across by Isak, and Digne and just in front of the goalkeeper. Running onto the ball, and in acres of space that he’d found, was Tonali, who hit a very smart finish past Martinez. The timing required to pull this off had to be so precise, half a second later and the keeper would have saved it.
St James’ Park erupted and it felt like a legend was born in that moment.
Arriving late like that is not a skill that can be taught, it’s instinct and not every player possesses it. Tonali’s goal had echoes of Gary Speed.
The rest of the match was thoroughly enjoyable too. Although Villa did equalise soon after Tonali’s opener, it didn't take long for Newcastle to assert their dominance once again. Isak made it 2-1 before half time and the game was close at that point. Villa, did look threatening moving forward but ultimately weren't able to be as clinical as the Magpies.
In the second half Isak, showing great strength, added a third with a - quite frankly outrageous - chip whilst having his shirt pulled. Wilson add the fourth and the cherry on top, the fifth goal, was scored by the impressive substitute Harvey Barnes who had also assisted Wilson’s goal a few minutes earlier.
All in all, a superb result. A very pleasing team performance and a perfect start to the season. A result that will have sent shockwaves through the Premier League I’m sure.
Tough Matches To Come
Although the 5-1 demolition of Aston Villa was thrilling, there’ll be no time to rest on any laurels. Treble winning Manchester City are next up, away from home at the Etihad Stadium followed by a home fixture against Jurgen Klopp’s revitalised Liverpool team at St James’.
The latter promises to be an exciting, feisty affair with little love lost between the two clubs over the past couple of seasons.
However, Manchester City away (Saturday 19th, 8pm kick off) is as stern a test as Newcastle will face this season. Such is the confidence in the squad (and amongst supporters) many will believe that a positive result can be achieved. And who can argue with that?
Gone are the days of rolling over for anyone. If the team loses at the Etihad, then so be it, it won’t affect what the club can achieve this season and nobody should be too disappointed.
But honestly, I think we go there with a chance of getting at least 1 point.
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