Newcastle looked a lot more comfortable against Tottenham, and that was largely down to the change in formation.
The Magpies kicked off the season playing 3-5-2, but after a poor start, switched to 3-4-3. And it worked. Newcastle got their first win of the season away to Tottenham.
It seems clear that this is the formation to use going forward, but does it also expose a mistake Newcastle made this summer?
Steve Bruce has confirmed that Miguel Almiron, Allan Saint-Maximin and Christian Atsu will miss Newcastle’s Carabao Cup clash with Leicester. So who is going to play out wide in black and white?
We’ve predicted that Matt Ritchie and Rolando Aarons will operate on the flanks. That’s the first choice left wing-back and a player who wasn’t selected in the 25-man Premier League squad.
When Bruce intended on using a 3-5-2, it was clear he had quite a few options up top. But the change in system has reduced those options.
So should Newcastle have signed another winger this summer? We were linked with various players who could play in that role, from Harry Wilson to Jordon Ibe. But alas, Saint-Maximin was the only winger to arrive.
On top of that, Jacob Murphy was allowed to leave on loan while the previously mentioned Aarons missed out on the squad.
Will this mistake come back to haunt the Magpies?
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