Given the walking pace Newcastle enjoyed against nine-man Stoke in Thursday's second half, Alan Pardew doesn't have to make any lineup changes tomorrow. Since Pardew typically bristles at having his routine disrupted, it must be a comforting feeling. Nonetheless, I think the manager should shuffle his pack a bit, as commentators like to say. And the reason is simple: table-topping Arsenal is not Stoke City. Maybe a different, more physical approach would work better tomorrow. It's a far cry from my typical philosophy of the game, but sometimes bullying a high-flying opponent can be effective, if not always pretty.
As always, I'll pick my preferred starting XI and give my reasons why, then conclude the post by trying to pick Pardew's brain.
Keeper and back four: Tim Krul; Mathieu Debuchy, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Massadio Haïdara
Four of the five players here started on Boxing Day, so let's focus on the one change I suggest - Haïdara for Davide Santon. Obviously, Pardew sees something he likes in the left back, who sadly must have some sort of boot magnet in his legs with the amount of times opposing players have flown into him studs-up. And with the rest of the lineup I've laid out, going with the ex-Nancy man makes sense. He's probably a better defender than Santon, who always seems to have a couple shaky moments in every match. As Theo Walcott will likely line up at right wing, Newcastle will need all the defense on that side it can get. And in the attack, Haïdara's left-footed crosses will be useful in a 4-4-2 formation. In that setup, Haïdara provides the width that Santon so rarely offers.
Midfield: Moussa Sissoko, Cheick Tioté, Yohan Cabaye, Yoan Gouffran
Almost exactly two years ago, a formidable Manchester United rolled into St. James' Park and was thoroughly humiliated. Maybe the biggest reason why was the performance of Tioté. He exemplified the midfield enforcer role, harrying and intimidating his more skilled opponents from start to finish. I don't think Wayne Rooney has been the same since. Back from his suspension, Tioté needs to wreak a similar amount of havoc against another "big club." These are the matches he was made to star in.
Some food for thought on the improvement in Newcastle's squad, even since the fifth-place campaign. In that famous 3-0 win in January 2012, Tioté and Cabaye started in midfield, with Ryan Taylor and Jonás Gutiérrez on the wings. I'd say Sissoko and Gouffran are a step up in class, wouldn't you?
Forwards: Shola Ameobi, Loïc Rémy
The other thing to remember about that night against Man U was the surprising effectiveness of Shola Ameobi in a brutish Newcastle attack. It certainly wasn't pretty, but it surprised a team not used to seeing its opponents be so aggressive. Arsène Wenger's teams often fall victim to the same tactics. Even though I stump for a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 when virtually no one else does, I'll change my tune and argue for Shola to get the start tomorrow. With Newcastle within reach of the top four, and even the top of the table, I'd rather see three points than pretty football.
That means leaving out Hatem Ben Arfa after a pretty strong performance on Thursday, which is a bit harsh on the French Swaggy P. But we know that no matter what style Newcastle plays tomorrow, Arsenal will have plenty of possession and a ton of chances to score. I wouldn't feel comfortable with Ben Arfa on the pitch in that scenario. The odds of a costly mistake are, sadly, just too high. But with a more favorable matchup on Wednesday, Newcastle fans won't even have to wait a week to drop another Hatem Bomb.
Who Pardew will pick: Krul; Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon; Sissoko, Tioté, Cabaye; Ben Arfa, Rémy, Gouffran
id rather save anita and HBA for the west brom game. i agree with your preferred lineup.. and i think pardew will go with the remy-ameobi pairing and santon at LB. that lineup beat man U so it can work... put HBA on for shola in the 2nd half if things are going ok.
Posted by: Jaeger | 12/28/2013 at 02:17 PM