Newcastle United's 4-1 defeat to Coventry City on Monday evening has prompted scrutiny of Matthias Jaissle's midfield setup, with Opta data showing Nico Gonzalez was left exposed in the middle of the park.
The Magpies have now lost two successive away games by a 4-1 scoreline. Theories for the defeat include Newcastle failing to take their chances despite registering 19 shots on goal, conceding too many attempts on target, and the expected turbulence of a young squad that signed eight players aged 24 and under in the summer.
Midfield pivot under pressure
One suggested solution is to gain more control in midfield. This season, the midfield pivot has often felt exposed, with too large a gap between the front four and the midfield base in Jaissle's 4-2-3-1 formation.
Nico Gonzalez, Lewis Miley, Sean Steur and Jacob Ramsey have formed that base at various points. However, in the last two games, Jaissle has opted to play Joe Willock in midfield, moving from two deeper-lying midfielders to one, with the other given license to get forward and join attacks.
Average positions reveal 4-1-5 shape
On Monday, Jaissle paired Willock and Gonzalez together, but the Spaniard looked exposed as Coventry constantly overloaded the former Manchester City man in the middle of the park.
Opta's average positions chart backed up the eye test, showing Newcastle looked more like a team playing 4-1-5 than 4-2-3-1. Willock effectively played alongside Jacob Murphy, Yoane Wissa and Harvey Barnes in forward areas rather than alongside Gonzalez in midfield.
