Newcastle United – Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs Hit A New Low (6-1)

Tottenham switched to a back four for this game, but that experiment was ended after twenty minutes when they found themselves 5-0 down against a high-intensity Newcastle attack. Spurs looked completely disorganized during the opening period, with poor individual performances also making this a day to forget for the club.

Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.

Both teams came into this match on the back of a defeat, as Newcastle had lost to Unai Emery’s impressive Aston Villa side, while Tottenham conceded a late winner at home to Bournemouth. They each needed a result here though, with only three points and a game in hand separating the teams in the race for top four.

Newcastle lined up in their usual 4-3-3 system here, with a back four of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schär, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn. Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimarães, and Joe Willock were the midfield trio, while Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak, and Joelinton started up front.

Cristian Stellini meanwhile decided to deviate from the back three system that Spurs had strictly adhered to since the start of Antonio Conte’s tenure. They started with a 4-2-3-1 shape instead, using a back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, and Ivan Perišić. Pape Matar Sarr started in midfield alongside Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, with Oliver Skipp as the number ten behind the trio of Dejan Kulusevski, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Total capitulation

Spurs attempted to defend against Newcastle in a narrow 4-2-3-1 shape, where Kulusevski and Son would generally remain in . . .