Newcastle United's struggles under Matthias Jaissle were again highlighted after Monday night's 4-1 defeat to Coventry City. The German has stuck with his 4-2-3-1 formation since arriving at the club in August, but its effectiveness is increasingly being questioned.
The system has taken time to get used to, particularly for fans accustomed to their side dominating midfield possession, especially at home. While Eddie Howe's 4-3-3 was not flawless—Newcastle finished 11th last season—it brought its share of success.
Midfield changes and early promise
Two key components of that midfield, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, have left the club, and there was acceptance that changes were needed. Jaissle arrived promising a fast-paced style, with Newcastle pressing and moving the ball forward quickly. That was evident in the opening games against Liverpool and Spurs, but has only appeared in brief spells since, notably in the first half against Hull City.
Blaming the formation alone for the Coventry result would be too easy. Many Premier League rivals use a similar system, but execute it far better. One weakness of Howe's 4-3-3 was its inability to deal with a No 10 playing between the lines—and that No 10 role is where Newcastle are currently getting it wrong.
Wissa's struggles in the No 10 role
Yoane Wissa has been handed the responsibility of that pivotal position, but it is not working. A No 10 should create big chances every game while contributing goals. Since setting up Joe Willock's goal at Liverpool, Wissa has not registered a single assist and has scored just once this season.
He is neither getting into the box to score and create, nor dropping back to help the midfield, bar some challenges on the wrong side of the ball that often lead to free-kicks. Against Coventry, he had just one touch in their 18-yard box.
Comparisons can be made with the league's leading exponents of the role, such as Arsenal's Martin Odegaard, Morgan Gibbs-White, Emi Buendia, Pascal Gross, Mikkel Damsgaard, Cole Palmer and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, all of whom have created many big chances for their clubs.
Potential solutions and ongoing issues
Wissa is a striker by nature, and his deployment in the No 10 role leaves the midfield woefully short, giving Nico Gonzalez and others too much to do. It is not for lack of effort—Wissa has looked re-energised under Jaissle and could be the answer to the central striker question.
The clamour to switch back to 4-3-3 is understandable, especially with Joelinton fit again. Once Amar Dedic is fully match-ready, Jaissle will have Lewis Miley, Sean Steur, Nico Gonzalez, Jacob Ramsey, Joe Willock and Aladji Bamba competing for central midfield roles, making a three-man system seem logical. But the 4-2-3-1 does not have to be abandoned—Ramsey, Steur, Willock and Matias Fernandez-Pardo can all play in an advanced midfield role.
While issues exist across the pitch, until this pivotal part of the system is addressed, Newcastle will continue to struggle to get it right on a regular basis.
