Five games into the 2015/16 season and Newcastle United are yet to register a league victory. Three defeats and two draws have seen United slump to the foot of the Premier League table, an unfamiliar position for St James’ Park club. One factor that could be playing a part in Newcastle’s slow demise is the midfield saturation that is plaguing team selection. With Steve McClaren newly installed at the helm of the club, it is possible that he has not yet been able to select his favoured XI, and his most desirable midfield trio, quartet or quintuplet.
As a result, this has created a somewhat saturated midfield situation. McClaren seemingly prefers a five-man midfield with two holding central midfielders, two wingers and an attacking midfielder in the number 10 role. However, this could be a serious issue stunting Newcastle’s chance creation opportunities. A quintuplet has potentially fused a midfield saturation issue, lacking deep-lying playmakers in Vurnon Anita and Jack Colback, who admirably do the job of protecting the back four.
Wing-play has been disappointing so far, with it unclear who is the preferred wing duo, and it is often the case that full-backs Daryl Janmaat and Massadio Haïdara are the furthest forward players in an attacking move. Understandably, natural defenders are not the most adept at putting the ball in the back of the net, and having registered three of United’s four shots on target against West Ham United on 14th September at The Boleyn Ground, Janmaat is certainly pulling his weight in terms of trying to score goals. This is something that the midfield cannot be doing, proven by the goal drought that has extended now to four games after Monday night’s defeat.
The most telling problem with Newcastle’s midfield saturation is the vastness of team selection in this area. In the number 10 role behind the main striker, the available players are: Georginio Wijnaldum, Siem De Jong, Moussa Sissoko and Florian Thauvin, all vying for a single position. Similarly, those who are capable of playing on the wing are: Gabriel Obertan, Ayoze Pérez, Rolando Aarons, Moussa Sissoko, Florian Thauvin and Sylvain Marveaux, which is six wingers competing for two starting positions. Although competition is beneficial for a squad, always pushing each player to compete with their teammates, squad rotation or instability is the opposite, eventually jeopardising the long-term structure of a side.
After five matches, McClaren should have a settled eleven in his mind that will aim to start every Premier League match, but the impression is that this is not the case. Perez, De Jong and Aarons have all featured in cameo appearances across the opening five league fixtures, not giving them sufficient time to impress the manager in a match situation. What was evident, however, on Monday night at the Boleyn Ground was that the introduction of Pérez and De Jong from the bench gave Newcastle an added spark that had been missing in the first half, and a link to the isolated figure of Papiss Cissé up front.
While there may be solid debate surrounding the swapping of the Senegalese frontman for the young Spaniard, Pérez, the issue still remains of who should fill the number 10 role behind the main striker. This position must link defence to attack, transferring the ball from the interceptors in the middle of the pitch, up to the main striker preferably in and around the penalty area. Optimism still surrounds Tyneside; McClaren can find the winning formula. After all, the Yorkshireman stated to nufc.co.uk: “judge me after ten games”, which is a fair period of time for the team to adjust to McClaren, and for he too to adjust to the playing staff at his disposal.
It isn’t disputed that McClaren is an admirer of the Dutch league system, having guided FC Twente to their first ever Eredivisie title in 2010, and the recent recruitment that United have delved into has been around the Dutch market, acquiring the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum and Siem De Jong from Dutch giants PSV and Ajax, respectively. One issue that could be addressed is the need to give De Jong 90 minutes in a Newcastle shirt, in a league fixture; what better opportunity than the match against Watford on Saturday 19th September.
After a hellish first year on Tyneside – which the Dutchman admitted was the toughest of his career – De Jong’s injury woes look to be behind him. Furthermore, having been signed to play in an attacking midfield role, it may be time to start the seasoned Dutchman whose mature playing style and physicality could bring some valuable stability to Newcastle saturated midfield. This of course would result in dropping £14.5m man, Wijnaldum, who hasn’t been a bad performer for United, but becoming accustomed to the English game seems to have been a minor issue, often dwarfed by the likes of Cheikhou Kouyaté, and forced to take on a more physical role than he would prefer.
De Jong’s goal-scoring prowess isn’t too bad either, scoring already this season against Northampton Town in the League Cup at St James’ Park, but also scoring a well-taken consolation goal last season for United against Swansea City, after coming on as a late substitution.
Of course, selection is fierce for the first time in many seasons at United and squad depth is encouraging to see. However, the re-integration of some of last campaign’s brightest lights is a must if Newcastle are to dig themselves out of a rut. Even if the experimentation of playing with different personnel or a different tactical set-up do not work, McClaren cannot be criticised for not attempting to switch things up, much like his predecessors John Carver and Alan Pardew. Their stubborn team selection and tactical ineptitude often hindered the side where the same starting XI became demoralised and stagnated, resulting in consecutive losses or games without victory.
The likes of Rolando Aarons, Ayoze Pérez and Siem De Jong comprise a trio billed for big things at the beginning of the 2014/15 campaign. These men should be given their opportunity to shine in the first team under McClaren, even though they are not his signings; after all, the only direction United can go is up, as the squad Newcastle have does not reflect their languishing state in 20th place.
Current tactics or personnel are not quite clicking for McClaren’s fledgling Newcastle side. With midfield saturation an issue, the solution could well be rotation, in an attempt to find a happy medium, with some fan groups calling for the Champions League-aspiring Sissoko to be dropped in order for him to fight for his place.
Selection is difficult for five positions in Newcastle’s midfield and a tactical shake-up may be needed, with the replacement of Anita or Colback for a more attacking entity being talked up for potential experimentation. But one thing remains clear, there must be a solution found for this midfield saturation, whether it be rotation or differentiation in tactics, as United do not want to be remaining in the relegation zone over the next few game weeks, as it could set an unenviable trend and an uphill task for the rest of the season.
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