We've made no secret of the fact that we'd like to see Alan Pardew utilize a more fluid formation than the traditional English 4-4-2 this season.
And to Pardew's credit, he's shown a pretty good sense of understanding when to stick with the ol' tried and true alignment and when to be a bit more adventurous. He was bold on Sunday at West Brom and was handsomely rewarded.
Newcastle's 4-3-3 look, with Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa spearheading the attack, ripped West Brom apart in the 3-1 win. United had to survive a few shaky moments at the back after captain Fabricio Coloccini departed at halftime with a hamstring injury, but by then its front three had provided enough of a cushion.
Sunday's performance was significant because it showcased just how deadly Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa can be when they're on the same wavelength. That hadn't yet happened, mostly because those three have only been on the field together for about 90 minutes (roughly 27 vs. Sunderland and 63 last week vs. Norwich).
Ba and Ben Arfa, operating on the left and right, respectively, and weaving inside frequently, combined to complete 53 of 59 passes (Ba was a ridiculous 30-for-33, while Ben Arfa was 23-for-26). Their interplay in the buildup to Newcastle's third goal - Cisse's second - looked instinctual. Most importantly, the trio's movement flowed. Newcastle has had some outstanding moments this season, but this was the best pure attacking display.
Behind United's attacking trio, Yohan Cabaye, Jonas Gutierrez and Danny Guthrie were exactly what they needed to be: steady. Gutierrez's 48 completed passes and 60 attempts were both team highs, and he also led Newcastle in touches. Guthrie completed 86 percent of his passes (44-for-51), a figure that was bettered only by Ba (91) and Ben Arfa (88) among those who played the entire match. Cabaye's numbers weren't eye-catching, but he made the sort of intelligent forward runs that are necessary from one of the midfielders in a 4-3-3.
The only real blemishes in an otherwise sterling performance came at the back after Coloccini's early exit. Mike Williamson was significantly better than last week, but one exceedingly poor moment gave Shane Long a goal and rekindled some hope for West Brom. Even so, Albion only managed two shots on target (Newcastle had seven), in spite of the fact that United logically dropped deeper as the game wore on (and, as a result, West Brom actually out-possessed Newcastle for the game).
Coloccini's replacement at center back, James Perch (who started the game at left back), was composed on the ball (32-for-38 passing, 68 touches - second to only Gutierrez) and effective in the air (a team-best four successful headed clearances). It's hard to say which is more impressive: Perch's rapid improvement since the start of 2012 or his ability to shake off a Billy Jones cross to the nether regions.
The early reports are that Coloccini could miss three or four games, a significant speed bump in Newcastle's race toward Europe - even in light of Perch's encouraging recent form. But maybe, just maybe, Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa will provide enough offense to compensate.
Not many people are talking about how bad the Coloccini injury is or how bad or not Cisse's injury was after he was stretchered off. As a life long Newcastle fan its common place for the team to be hit with some kind of injury at a critical time or during a good run. Regardless its still a total gut punch! Our back 4 was shaky enough now its Swiss cheese!
Posted by: Mathew | 03/26/2012 at 10:48 AM
Pardew said after the match that Cisse is fine, just bad leg cramps. Coloccini's injury is very worrisome. But Perchy has been surprisingly stout as the season has progressed. Let's hope we can patch it together back there and survive.
Posted by: Bob | 03/26/2012 at 10:55 AM
just worried about facing liverpool and the pace they have with bellamy and suarez. maybe want to put jonas in back like against norwich and perch with willo (like we have a different choice). maybe fergie could go left mid or lovenkrands..
great performance by the lads this weekend. ben arfa was amazing and hope he has finally hit his stride, ba and cisse too. should be a great game against the scousers.
Posted by: Jaeger | 03/26/2012 at 12:13 PM
Great 3 points, was a very good day. Looking ahead Liverpool will be very tough, especially with no Colo. I have faith that Perch can step up for us until Colo comes back. Will need Krul to be on top of his game too (he has been wonderful all year but we will really need him with Colo out). I am confident we can weather the storm though, we have all year through the injuries we have had so far.
Posted by: Ryan | 03/26/2012 at 01:21 PM
Jonas in the middle with Yohan and Guthrie worked really nicely. Jonas is good at intercepting in the ball (having good defensive positioning) and he had a handful of them Sunday. This allowed for some of those quick attacks from the front three. Hatem and Perchinho were fantastic.
Posted by: Rob | 03/27/2012 at 08:50 AM
A few observations:
(1) Our back four (sans Simpson and Colo) looked shaky. I have no earthly idea what happened to Williamson...I thought he was a reasonable option at CB but he looks unsure of himself or what to do. One thing for sure, he'd better get his signals straight with Tim Krul to avoid any problems. If we beat Liverpool, the play of our back four will be a major reason; either they will have been "solid but unspectacular" or "dreadful".
(2) HBA gave away the ball a few times, but did you see him running back on defense? Imagine HBA with more than a passing fancy in defensive pressure...he could be a star---I mean Bale like.
(3) So, all you guys who love 4-3-3, where do we slot in Ryan Taylor (LB?) and Tiote? In a 4-3-3 don't we want Tiote in the middle? Does that push Cabaye to the outside? Is Cabaye alright out there...would he rather be in the middle? I don't know. Smarter minds can straighten me out.
(4) So I love winning, but I'd like to see Demba Ba in the middle (or more in the middle) and if a 4-3-3 pushes him wide...not sure that's the best use of our (still) high scorer.
(5) Wear the orange again!
Posted by: MnToonArmy9 | 03/30/2012 at 11:16 AM
Totally agree on the backline. Williamson appears to be in a rut at the moment and Simpson has varied between OK and poor all season long.
As for the 4-3-3, long term I don't think Ryan Taylor should be a penciled-in starter. He can fit into a midfield three or play fullback, but I'd prefer to see him in the utility role rather than week-in, week-out starter.
Cabaye played in a 4-3-3 at Lille, which had a similar player to Tiote in Mavuba. I envision Tiote sitting as the anchor man, with Cabaye and Jonas or somebody else floating in front of him and the two outside forwards providing the width.
I hear what you're saying on Ba, but I thought he was fantastic against West Brom. Ben Arfa is getting most of the praise - and he was great - but Ba orchestrated a lot of things. He was 30-for-33 on passing, which is ridiculously good considering he's an attacking player. The 4-3-3 actually allows for a lot of interchanging among the front three when in possession, so I think Ba would still get enough chances floating inside.
Posted by: Tom | 03/30/2012 at 10:07 PM