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It was a Tyne-Wear derby packed with emotion and exasperation. A day for the black and red sides of the North East to curse their rivals and scream, "why?" As a Newcastle fan, it is easy to laugh now, as Shola Ameobi once again denied Sunderland with a timely goal. It has gotten to the point where you wish there were some sort of virtual reality system to make Shola think he was suiting up against Sunderland every week. The Wearside rabble probably knew they were sunk as soon as they saw the fourth official put up his number. (As an aside, he should have taken the penalty. For all his faults as a player, the man is world-class from the spot.)
From Newcastle's perspective, the pleading questions will be directed at Alan Pardew. Why do so many of the club's performances look like today's turgid first half, and not the sublime second? First, we should give the manager his due. Over the last few weeks, the grumbling toward Pardew has painted him as tactically rigid and unable to change a game positively in the second half. He was neither today. Instead, Pardew set the tone by bringing on Hatem Ben Arfa, and the team responded with a dominant, suffocating approach.
Let's start with the bad. In the first half, Newcastle looked for all the world like a team petrified of getting embarrassed in the derby. By playing passively, they managed to do just that. Sunderland were far from Barcelona themselves, but the home side seemed content to hoof it out of the back, or let Jonas Gutierrez get hassled and trapped until he turned the ball over. Mike Williamson made a silly error to concede a penalty. Though it's not often called, he's risked penalties in the past by pulling players' shirts, and today was the day he paid for it. Just as we feared, Sunderland won the majority of possession duels in the first half, a testament to their aggressiveness in midfield.
But starting at about the 40 minute mark, Newcastle belatedly decided to show up. The three of us have been crying out for more possession play through the midfield, and finally our prayers were answered. The final tally was 63.1% for the game, which means about 75% possession in the second half. Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye should dominate Lee Cattermole and Craig Gardner in midfield, and their class indeed showed through after halftime. Pardew's side completed more than twice as many passes as shellshocked Sunderland, with the central midfield pair first and second in that category.
And of course, there was Ben Arfa. The last two weeks should have dispelled any remaining concerns about making him a fixture in the starting lineup. Against Wolves he was selfish and sometimes aimless, but still produced Newcastle's only chances to win. Today, well...Pardew should tie Ben Arfa to a chair and force him to watch this performance until it sinks in. He did give away the ball, of course, but he was engaged, accurate with his passing (24/26; 92%), and Kieran Richardson will probably be having nightmares about him tonight. Along with all the fancy dribbling, he also chipped in a gorgeous pass that Demba Ba was a whisker away from latching onto with a volley.
The club finds itself in an enviable position right now. There is no bottom to fall through; Newcastle are well clear of relegation, and probably even assured of a top-half finish. European qualification may be a tough ask, but it's certainly within reach. In other words, now is the time to gamble. Pardew needs to start Ben Arfa, Demba Ba, and Papiss Cisse together. He needs to tell Cabaye and Tiote to push up into the attack and pass with confidence. He even needs to tell Tim Krul to play the ball short instead of lofting it into the fray. Play that way from the opening whistle, and he won't have to rely on Ameobi to save him in stoppage time.