Those of you who caught our season preview post and podcast (and if you didn't...well, what are you waiting for?) may have noticed that I have a bit of a disagreement with all three of my co-bloggers about a certain ginger Geordie midfielder. To put it bluntly, Jack Colback should not be an automatic starter in central midfield for a top-half club in the Premier League. Here's why.
This is Colback's passing chart from the Southampton match, courtesy of Squawka.
Notice anything? There are hardly any forward passes or passes into the final third of the field. Granted, he completed 92% of the passes he did attempt, but that's because they were extremely safe. Given the choice of a performance like this or some of Cheick Tioté's worst outings, when he tried to channel then-teammate Yohan Cabaye and sprayed passes wildly all over the pitch, I guess I'd take Colback. But outside of his corners, he essentially offers zero in an attacking sense.
Late in Sunday's match, the commentators pointed out that Steve McClaren was yelling from the sideline to tell Colback to switch play and involve Moussa Sissoko and Daryl Janmaat, who had been left unmarked while Southampton packed the center of the park. That moment summarizes Colback as a player to me. He's not bad, per se. But he isn't capable of involving his more talented teammates in a way that allows them to take advantage of space or mismatches. Instead, he's content to slow the play down with a safe sideways or backward pass that gives the defense a chance to settle back into position.
That's why comments from my co-bloggers about Colback being "underrated," or producing "the definition of a captain's performance" set my teeth on edge a bit. If anything, he's now become overrated, as commentators clearly love him even though he's a fairly limited player.
Colback did have two extremely good defensive plays in the last 10 minutes against Southampton and deserves credit for making them. But by and large, his performance was what you'd expect: that of an average midfielder who runs a ton (sometimes too much, as he chases the ball and can run himself out of position), can easily slot into a number of roles, but is ultimately replaceable and not a good enough player to build a team around. Especially since his inclusion in the lineup effectively comes at the expense of someone like Ayoze Pérez.
When Colback first signed for Newcastle last summer, I compared him to Danny Guthrie and said that I thought he would be effective in the same role Guthrie filled in the fifth-place season. In that campaign, Guthrie played 16 league matches and three in the cups, ably stepping in for Cabaye and Tioté in spot duty. That should be how McClaren uses Colback from here on out: starting him in select matches where his tenacity could prove useful, but not relying on him excessively.
What an awful awful article, there's a reason he isn't attacking and that's because he's a defensive midfielder. Breaks down play and finds space in play. It's the likes of everyone in front of colback and Anita to do the attacking. Very negative comments
Posted by: Jack | 08/11/2015 at 08:14 AM
It's everyone's job to attack, from the keeper forward. In football you are in defense when you don't have the ball and in offense when you do. He needs to find passes down the pitch occasionally
Posted by: Benoz | 08/11/2015 at 08:20 AM
When u are defending and win the ball back, going forward straight away every time leaves your striker far too isolated as u need to let your attacking midfielders get forward to support. Colback is in the team to win the ball back, keep it simple and not give the ball away. If every time he won the ball back he tried to go forward he would end up giving it away more often than not. Look at all the good teams, they all have a midfielder who is in the team to perform the task as colback does. If u analyse matic game for Chelsea u will get similar stats, and he was in a lot of people's eyes in the prem team of the year last year
Posted by: Toon barmy | 08/11/2015 at 08:23 AM
Strange article IMO, how is colback keeping out Perez. One is a defensive midfielder the other is a striker/attacking midfielder.
As for his passing, he is not in the team to be creative, he is there is to try provide some solidarity. In the current system the 3 midfielders in front of him are there to provide the creative spark
Posted by: T9 | 08/11/2015 at 08:27 AM
Ridiculous article!! Without him, we would have lost... it is that simple. He isn't a world-beater but unlike pretty much everyone else in our squad he is consistent. You know what you will get from him every game, he will put it all on the line and keep running while the rest of the team take a breather for a couple of minutes.
His role in the team requires just about the most discipline in the team. His role is to make others look good by getting the ball back, giving it to them and always being an available outlet so that they don't become isolated. This year he can do give it to Gini, last year he couldn't and, as such, he was much more attacking than we'll probably see this year.
As for, Colback keeping Perez out of the team... ridiculous!
Posted by: 2_goal_tino | 08/11/2015 at 08:37 AM
re: my Ayoze comment - I'd prefer to see Wijnaldum in a box-to-box type role as he played much of the preseason with Pérez in front of him. Thus leaving one spot for Anita, Colback, or even Tioté once match-fit, depending on the opponent. Playing two of those midfielders with Gini in front means leaving out someone like Pérez or de Jong.
re: the passing chart - I'm not saying he should play the ball forward every time...but look at the chart. You can count the forward passes on one hand. And when you watch the match, he's often so deliberate in the way that he passes it backward or sideways that it totally freezes the attack and lets the defenders hunker down. He's not playing those types of passes productively.
Posted by: Matt | 08/11/2015 at 08:37 AM
just a dreadful article. he is a defensive midfielder he isnt meant to create chances. (although 4 goals 6 assits last season begs to differ)you state he defended well against southampton (which is his job). words failed me with this article. poor.
Posted by: stephen dixon | 08/11/2015 at 08:40 AM
We played a wide game on Sunday, attacking from the flanks for nearly every attack, your squawka image shows he got the ball and played it to the flanks in the majority of his (95% accurate) passes. Seems to me like you're just looking for excuses not to like him. I don't have the information but was it him who passed to massadio? Either way both goals came from the wide areas.
Posted by: Sean | 08/11/2015 at 08:44 AM
I agree, he is a very average player, it seems like these dinosaur fans judt want to love him because he is a local lad and he gives his all... but the plain hard truth is he's not good enough.... we need to find a system to incorporate our better players.
Posted by: Yom | 08/11/2015 at 08:58 AM
I disagree Matt.
Colback was my personal man-of-the-match.
His movement to either wing to form neat triangles with wideman and fullback was excellent and instrumental to our buildup.
That stopped after 70 mins...
1) the legs tired - 1st-match-of-season
2) Anita went off and Colback had to provide extra cover - just as well because he made two excellent saves to block sure-thing goals.
I'd pick Colback ahead of Delph any day of the week for England.
Posted by: Doctapaul | 08/11/2015 at 08:58 AM
I like Colback. I think he does his job well but he could bring his head up more for chances up field. But in saying that, I'd still rather keep posession than give the ball away on a chancey through pass. That tires a team out more than anything. The REAL issue is WHY?! is Obertan even considered for starting lineup. I know he got the assist for Gigi but anyone would have made that run. He refuses to use his left foot positioned at left wing. His football IQ is poor. Lacks creativity and is not a real threat to goal.
Posted by: Alex | 08/11/2015 at 09:29 AM
It frustrates me being a toon fan it really does. We have a go at last seasons performances cos we go long all the time, now we are focusing on keeping the ball we have a go for sideways passes, u can't keep the ball and go forward every time!!! A big part of the modern game now is full backs, sideways passing brings them into play. If every time colback got the ball he went forward, full backs wouldn't have a hope in hell of supporting. And once a full back does get forward, it is colbacks job to cover him in case we get caught on the break. Some peoples lack of football knowledge astounds me
Posted by: Toon barmy | 08/11/2015 at 09:57 AM
Don't be too concerned with the negative comments.
A few more seasons watching soccer and you'll understand the value Colback gives to the team. And bear in mind he was playing alongside Anita whose forward passes too often found a Southampton player. Better safe Colback than sorry.
Posted by: Eddie H | 08/12/2015 at 01:25 AM
#mattout
Posted by: ben | 08/12/2015 at 06:18 PM
No confidence that you understand the position roles of the sport after reading this article. This is very typical of the production you would see from a player in this role on the field.
Posted by: michitoon25 | 08/12/2015 at 08:30 PM
Colback is positionally inept. He doesn't add value to the team. No matter how hard it looks like he's working, he's causing more problems for us than he is solving. He shouldn't be in the division, never mind our XI.
Posted by: TheDopestTrip | 08/21/2015 at 09:47 AM