Danny Murphy has described himself as Eddie Howe’s biggest fan, but has questioned one aspect of the Newcastle United manager’s approach.
The Magpies were poor against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, but did enough to advance in the FA Cup. Martin Dubravka was Newcastle’s best player, making two vital saves in the penalty shootout to put his side into the quarter final.
The FA Cup is going to define this season for Newcastle United, and some believe it will be a key factor in Eddie Howe‘s future on Tyneside.
He is adored by the Toon Army and his job is not under threat, although a recent story from Germany has claimed that the Magpies are interested in replacing him with Julian Nagelsmann.
That all seems like background noise at the moment, but Danny Murphy does believe there is an aspect of Howe’s managerial approach that could improve.
Danny Murphy has one problem with Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe
Murphy appeared on TalkSPORT on Wednesday, and questioned why Howe does not make more tactical changes during games.
“I’ve been his biggest fan,” he said.
“The way he conducts himself, the way he coaches the team, everything.
“On occasions when I’ve seen them struggling in games, there’s very rarely tactical changes.
“I thought last night was screaming out to change it to play two up top to occupy the three centre-backs for Blackburn, get some runs in behind and play off the front men rather than play through this condensed space.
“On the counter to that, you could argue that people like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp never change because they believe in what they’re doing, so it’s a catch 22. But I did think last night there was a time where he could have changed it to try and switch the momentum in the game. But they got through.”
Eddie Howe criticism is harsh
The problem with Murphy’s complaint is that Howe did not have the personnel to make a major tactical change against Blackburn on Tuesday night.
He wanted Howe to go two up top, despite Alexander Isak being Newcastle’s only striker – and he was withdrawn after 62nd minute as he continues to regain match fitness.
If Howe had the right players available, he might have considered changing formation and going to a front two. But that was not going to be possible considering he already had makeshift striker Anthony Gordon playing through the middle.
In the end, Howe stuck with the system he knows and his team got the job done – just.
But he has shown a willingness to shift his tactical approach before. We saw it during the win over Aston Villa in January when he went to five at the back, while there were multiple occasions last season where we saw Isak and Callum Wilson operate as a pair.
In that respect, Murphy’s criticism is harsh.
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