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When Steve Bruce was sacked, it wouldn’t be remiss to suggest that the Newcastle job was one of the highest in-demand jobs in football.

With the reported 200-million-pound budget at their disposal, and if it weren’t for the current state the club was in, every manager would be desperate to make their way up to Tyneside. 

After Unai Emery dedicated his loyalty to Villarreal and ruled himself out of the race, this left Eddie Howe as the only conceivable option. 

Whilst on the face of it this appointment seems like a bit of a disappointment, considering the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were once linked, the former Bournemouth coach is, in theory, the perfect stopgap to keep this struggling side in the league and consolidate a mid-table position for the next manager to take over. 

While Howe’s stint at Bournemouth didn’t end as to how we would’ve liked, he sustained a very solid premier league side with a fraction of the budget he now has. 

How will he fit in at the Magpies and can he steer them away from relegation, something which the Stats Insider futures model is currently assessing as a 59.9% probability?

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How will Newcastle set up?

Everyone remembers Bournemouth as an expansive, open-minded and adventurous team under Eddie Howe. With the likes of Callum Wilson and Josh King upfront, and with Ryan Fraser on the wing, Bournemouth were always a team that could easily snatch a scalp off one of the big teams. 

Howe implemented a system that was built of strong foundations, normally lining up his side in a 4-4-2, or at least some variation of that. On occasion, he would drop a striker down to create a 4-4-1-1 or push his wingers high and wide to create a 4-2-2-2. 

Against the bigger teams, Howe would occasionally switch to a 3-5-2, restricting space in the centre of the pitch, forcing teams out wide and backing his centre backs to win aerial duels. In his early years as a Premier League manager, he did favour the 4-3-3 / 4-3-2-1, however, he seems to have retreated from that system in favour of the more structured and traditional approach. 

Howe prefers centre halves who are very robust and disciplined, with technical fullbacks who have a wide passing range and good dribbling ability. In midfield he prefers a solid midfield double pivot, who both offer different qualities. A traditional ‘6’ and an ‘8’, with one, sitting and distributing play, where the other breaks the game open with a good array of passing and dribbling prowess. 

With that said, this is how Newcastle could possibly line up under Howe: 

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How will Newcastle play?

With the attacking talent that Newcastle have at their disposal it’s quite bizarre how blunt they have been so far this season scoring just 12 goals so far and creating the 14th most shot-creating actions per 90 with 17.10. Callum Wilson combined with Allan Saint-Maximim will be a deadly partnership if used correctly. Whilst many expect that Howe will immediately turn this side into an upper mid-table side that plays exciting football, this probably won’t be the case and it’s party due to their defence. 

While Jamal Lascelles is still Premier League quality, Matt Ritchie isn’t getting any younger, Jamal Lewis hasn’t hit the ground running as everyone thought while their depth outside of that is poor. This can be seen as they have conceded the most number of shot-creating actions per 90 with 26

While on the face of it, a 4-4-2 is more ‘attacking’ than the 5 at the back system Newcastle have been playing, it will be, for at least the first couple of months, relatively similar in terms of it being defensively minded. 

Howe will look to push his wingers high and wide, creating width and space centrally for Saint-Maximim to create, as well as Longstaff to make last runs into the box. Howe, in his early periods in charge, will play a counterattacking, direct style of football, until he can ingrain his philosophy into this Newcastle side. 

Without possession, Newcastle will sit narrow and deep. Creating a solid and compact 2 banks of four, with the 2 attackers dropper deeper to cut off passing lanes in between the lines and pressing high up the field. 

While it will be a majority counter-attacking system, Howe is skilled enough to get this side to play a more possession orientated style, in that case, the wingers will tuck inside, with the full-backs maintaining width as they overlap. In this possession-based system, however, the second striker is, will be crucial in linking up the midfield and attack. The introduction of this system will coincide with Howe getting access to those unending amounts of funds at his disposal, getting access to the players that he wants and that he thinks can bring the most to this Newcastle side. 

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The perfect fit? 

Eddie Howe is the perfect stopgap for this Newcastle side. 

He represents their best chance to stay up this season and sustain them around mid-table next campaign before a more experienced and higher pedigree manager will likely take the reins and propel the club to another tier altogether. 

At present, the Newcastle job isn’t a role many non-elite managers would’ve been lining up for, so to settle for Howe is great outcome for this success-starved club.

Eddie Howe has always been a good manager, and while his time at Bournemouth didn’t end the way he would've liked, he established his name in the British footballing sphere and was bound to get another job sooner rather than later. 

He’ll unite both the squad and the club’s loyal fan base, two things that were clearly eroded under Steve Bruce’s tenure. 

Newcastle fans should be very hopeful about an appointment which is indicative of the new management's good intentions while securing their future with minimal risk.

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