Ex-Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez’s tactical ideals can be seen on Tyneside today.
In a recent feature with Sky Sports discussing modern tactics, Rafa Benitez expressed his vision for what he expects from the best players currently in the game. Those principles exist now in Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side.
Discussing the importance of positional versatility and awareness, Benitez said: “it’s really, really important to have players with game intelligence..tactical intelligence means that they can play in different positions and they understand the role…these are the good players, because at the same time they save you money.”
In terms of saving money, it of course makes sense that having players capable of functioning in multiple positions on the pitch means that you’re more likely to be able to find an internal solution to cover for injured or sold players, rather than always having to buy in a replacement. However, as Benitez goes on to say, “to move players around is fine, but they have to be clever enough.”
Benitez’s own tactical mastery led Newcastle to some successful times whilst he was in charge at St James’ Park. However, the club have been taken to new heights by Howe.
Newcastle’s £40 million-saving transformation
Howe still makes use of this versatility to get the best out of the squad at his disposal. There are several examples of this at Newcastle. For instance, Alexander Isak can both lead the line and play out wide.
However, the ultimate example of this tactical intelligence in effect for the Magpies is in the reinvention of Joelinton.
The Tyneside club paid £40 million to sign Joelinton from Hoffenheim in 2019. The Brazilian was considered a striker at that point. However, he struggled to adapt to the role in the Premier League.
Rather than disregard this a transfer misstep and look to move him on, the club reinvented Joelinton. The 26-year-old has since flourished as an all-action box-to-box midfielder under Howe. His tactical awareness and physical attributes now make him an effective presence at both ends of the pitch, and have transformed an embarrassing flop into a transfer success story.
Credit must go to Howe, but these are also Benitez’s principles in action.
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