Ello and welcome back to another blockbuster episode brought to you by the good people over there at SMB. We’ve been having a ball taking a look at some of Europe’s best clubs and how there real life tactics would be implemented if we were to use SM23’s tactical set up. In today’s episode we’ll be heading to the northeast of England to check out a team that are back on their high horse after having a fantastic 22/23 season.
If you know your football history, you’ll be aware that Newcastle is a proper football club that have been massively underperforming for quite a while now. But ever since their takeover by the Saudi Consortium group back in October 2021, the team has been in fantastic form which accumulated with a 4th place finish in the Barclay’s Premeir league at the end of the 22/23 season which means that Newcaslte United will be playing Champions league football for the first time since 01/02. What makes their rise even more stunning is the fact that they have not “broke the bank” to get into this position. They have recruited wisely, and it is a testament to the job that Manager Eddie Howe has been doing ever since he’s been at the helm. The best part about all of this, for Newcastle supporters, is that they now have the leverage of Champions league football which will lure almost any elite player on the planet, and with Newcastle now officially being he richest club in on the world, the sky is truly the limit for the Geordies
Although finishing 4 points behind Man U, Newcastle were never under a lot of pressure to finish in the top 4 since they occupied one of these slots for majority of the season alongside Arsenal and Manchester CityThis was their preferred starting XI throughout the entirety of the 22/23 league season. By the look of this team on paper, you’d never think that they would’ve been able to compete with the likes of Liverpool, United and Tottenham for those champions league positions. The main reason for this Newcastle team’s overachievement is down to the balance within their XI. Nick Pope in goal is a fabulous shot stopper and was one of the players of the 22/23 season. In front of him were the joint meanest defence within the league as captain Kieran Tripper (who also had an outstanding season) held the width from the right while the other 3 tended to build in a ‘back 3’ since Dan Burn isn’t the most offensive player. The Midfield is truly where Newcastle have shined as Bruno Guimares has been the orchestrator of every attack, while the legs of both Longstaff and Willock provided the energy that is needed against top opposition within the BPL. Miguel Almiron off the right been a goal scoring and chance creating revelation, while Joelinton has had one of the most underrated seasons playing in various roles throughout. Callum Wilson certified himself as a proper No.9 by scoring 19 goals within the league with an honorable of honorable mentions going towards big money signing Alexander Isak for his top performances whenever he got the chance to play. Superb balance from back to front!
STRATEGY
Newcastle United knew that they wouldn’t be able to cope with all the quality of the other teams within the so called “big 6”. So, their main objective was to soak up as much pressure as possible then use all of their energy to burst on the transition in numbers. They basically out ran their opposition to finish within the top 4! lol
INSTRUCTIONS
They also had a cheat code in having one of the best set piece takers within the entirety of football
GENERAL
This Newcastle team always intended to attack any opponent that they came up against. This is down to the fact that they had such a solid foundation at the back which afforded them the opportunity to attack in numbers. They never tried to be too bold in possession knowing that they don’t have that much quality. They epitomize setting up your tactics based to what you already have within your team.
ATTACK
Whenever they got on the ball, there intention was to attack as swiftly as possible for majority of the time. When in long spells of possession, they wanted to hit the by line to allow the likes of Willock and Longstaff to make those late runs into the box that are synonymous with Box to Box Midfielders
DEFENDING
Lastly, this is the area within their tactics that make this Newcastle team so hard to beat, Their organization is EXCEPTIONAL! This is solely down to having 4 defenders and a goalkeeper who are very good defensively. They used this as their foundation to ensure that they were hard to beat first.
Seeing what the Toonami have in store this transfer window as well as within Europe is going to be quite the story to behold. Newcastle are currently everyone’s second favorite team, and I cannot wait to see how they Crack on next season! As for tomorrow’s episode, we’ll be heading to Germany to discuss the tactics of yet another club that has shocked the entire footballing nation with their seller performances over the 22/23 season. See u in a bit.
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