Three Points: Chelsea Stunner

Three delirious conclusions from Newcastle's unlikely 2-0 win over Chelsea at St. James' Park:

Ride the roller coaster
Good luck figuring out which Newcastle team is going to show up each week. Six days after unraveling against the Premier League's bottom team, Newcastle conjured up a composed, intelligent performance against one of the league's best.

The hosts did exactly what you need to against one of the top clubs: stay solid early on, make sure you're still in the game at halftime and build from there. Newcastle didn't hold onto the ball and connect passes particularly well in the first half, but Alan Pardew's charges stayed compact, defended soundly — Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Mathieu Debuchy should be singled out for praise — and pushed forward with quick ball movement when the opportunity arose. And when the second half came, they opened it up and grew more confident as the game wore on.

Unsung hero
Cheick Tiote's return to prominence has been one of the pleasant storylines of Newcastle's schizophrenic start to the season, and Tiote put in another solid showing before departing early in the second half with an injury.

On came Vurnon Anita, and Newcastle's attacking play instantly improved. The diminutive Dutchman is quicker and a signicantly better passer than Tiote, and it showed. Anita's work to set up Loic Remy's clincher was the exclamation point on his performance.

Assuming Tiote's injury isn't long term, it still seems harsh to drop the Ivorian enforcer after his recent uptick. It would behoove Pardew to find a way to incorporate Tiote, Anita and Yohan Cabaye into his lineup. Which brings us to ...

Is Sissoko all right on the right?
There must be something about playing Chelsea that unleashes Moussa Sissoko, who once again showed a ferociousness when running with the ball. Just think about how often Newcastle attacked down the right wing through Sissoko and Debuchy in the second half — against one of the best left backs in the world in Ashley Cole.

Pardew has used Sissoko as a No. 10, as a defensive midfielder, as a true center midfielder and as a wide midfielder. He's had impressive moments at each of those spots. But, as IWIWAG podcast contributor Phil Lavanco likes to point out, Sissoko's speed and tendency to dribble rather than pass would seem to point to him being more of a winger. Not to mention he gave Newcastle an alternative target on long balls. Perhaps wide right should be a more permanent home.

Comments

[Jaeger]

if we go 4-4-2 with anita, tiote,cabaye, sissoko in the midfield, then have remy and gouffy at the top? then use HBA as a super sub? that might work.

thought anita and obertan's ball handling leading up to the second goal was great. really like what he brings to our creative attack, almost likely a shorter cabaye.

[Adam]

4-2-3-1:

Krul
Debuchy Mbiwa Willo Santon
Tiote Anita
Sissoko Cabaye Gouffran
Remy

[Ben from Aus]

im expecting a couple of you hosts to eat your words about gouffran...
GOUF RUN RUN RUN best player we have had all season