Birmingham v Newcastle - Match Preview
Newcastle travel to south to face Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon. The Magpies will look to return to winning ways after what was unanimously described as their worst performance of the season at home to Fulham.
It was a particularly galling defeat, seemingly undoing all the good work of the previous 3 games, which saw us take 7 points from 9 against significant promotion rivals. As ever in this topsy-turvy league – at the very moment promotion seems nearing to formality, it is immediately cast into doubt. Newcastle remain top, but only on goal difference. And with Huddersfield’s game in hand, everything is still to play for.
It is no secret that Newcastle have been better on the road this season, and it takes no genius to figure out why. Benitez seems wedded to the old cliché: attackers win matches, defences win championships. Barring the only very exceptional moment, he has steadfastly refused to play more than one striker, and the seeming permanent inclusion of Jack Colback in the absence of Isaac Hayden suggests that compactness rather than expansion will be our modus operandi. Clearly this has seen us enjoy great success away from home, and a win tomorrow will see a record 14th away win of the season. No mean feat.
But while being compact away from home is a virtue, it soon translates into ponderousness in front of an expectant crowd at St James’ Park. When away teams deploy the same tactic we do to them, playing an extra defensive midfield player and only one striker seems downright absurd. This over cautiousness truly came back to haunt us last Saturday – and while the ramifications aren’t likely to be too dramatic, it remains a concern that Benitez has either failed, or refused, to draw a connection between under-performances at home and what is clearly becoming a predictable, superfluous and counter-productive strategy.
What to make of it all? Given Benitez’s pragmatism in other areas – constant rotation, for example – his intransigence seems out of character. His steadfast commitment to the same formation is worryingly reminiscent of the dogmatism of a certain Arsene Wenger. Just ask Arsenal fans the last time they saw the first substitution made before the 60th minute.
But, despite what I think are developing and legitimate misgivings about our tactics at home, I actually think that should we secure promotion back to the big time, that a compact strategy home and away will be vital to re-establishing ourselves as a Premier League team. Benitez is undoubtedly planning for the long-term at Newcastle, and it might be argued that his commitment to a certain way of playing is indicative of an attempt to develop a certain culture or playing style at Newcastle, one that Benitez knows will be crucial for next year should we go up.
This style is not, of course, a ‘kick ‘em and lump it’ as my Grandad likes to say. Benitez certainly wants passing, creative football. But he likes control. He likes cautious build up play. These are no bad things. They have their limits in the Championship where kick ‘em and lump it is the name of the game, but unless the plan is to travel back to Burton next year, it seems logical that some poor performances at home might be a worthy sacrifice if it means Benitez gets to stamp his authority, well and truly, on this team. (That said… a couple more losses and I might change my tune!)
To Birmingham, and let’s hope the game plan we’ve all come to know is effective once more. 9 more games, 9 more performances, and we can be back where we belong.
