When Rafa Benitez was at Newcastle, he prided himself on his defensive lineups, and although they were often not pretty on the eye, they were effective, despite having minimal possession.
So, naturally, when Steve Bruce was appointed, he was asked if he was hoping to play a more attacking style, with Newcastle on the front foot more.
He told the Chronicle before the season: “That’s the way we’re going to play.
“We’re going to try and play. I’ve always tried that and the system suits us. It puts us with two at the top end of the pitch, which gives you a chance.”
But four games into the Premier League season, and nothing has really changed from last season.
We still have minimal possession, we still play with a back five, and we still struggle to dominate a game.
So for many fans, the Rafa Benitez legacy remains, and Steve Bruce’s comments of attacking play appear to be hollow words, aimed at winning over disenchanted supporters.
In fairness to Bruce, we have played Arsenal and Tottenham, and most teams would struggle to dominate possession in those games, while a defensive approach is a sensible one.
But it is the games against Norwich and Watford that will cause concern among fans.
Two sides expected to be in the lower echelons of the table, and still Newcastle failed to dominate the possession stats, with only 36.7 per cent at Norwich, and a slightly better 48.8 per cent at home to Watford, which still saw the visitors have more of the ball.
They are hardly the type of stats associated with front-footed, attacking play.
Injuries have not helped Steve Bruce
Another mitigating factor, of course, is the injury situation.
Bruce has not been able to call upon his full squad, and even when he tried to play his new flair signing, Allan Saint-Maximin, the player suffered a recurrence of his hamstring issue, which has now sidelined him for the next couple of weeks.
However, there was still a chance for Bruce to switch to a 4-4-2 formation against Watford, as a result of the injury to Matt Ritchie, and he decided against it.
Similarly, Miguel Almiron is not an out-and-out striker, yet is being forced to play there, where he would have much more of an attacking influence playing just behind a front two, or in a wider role.
So, although it is still early in the season, and Bruce’s Newcastle career, we are yet to see the attacking style promised.
It is accepted by most, that Bruce does not have the tactical nous of Rafa, which will make it all the more difficult to sustain the same defensive approach the Spaniard used so expertly.
So the sooner the injury situation eases, and Newcastle get a couple of wins to ease the tension around the club, the quicker Bruce can stand by his words, and give the team a more attacking edge.
Fans had patience with Benitez and his ultra-defensive approach, it is unlikely Bruce will be afforded the same luxury.
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