Matthias Jaissle has held a meeting with Newcastle’s senior players to ask them for feedback on his “vertical football” style and system and to ensure they feel “comfortable” with the demands it places on a young group.
Jaissle is facing his first bumpy spell as Newcastle boss after back-to-back defeats that intensified concerns about some of the early performances at St James’ Park. There were boos on Saturday as the Magpies slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa that ended Jaissle’s honeymoon period on Tyneside.
A big part of the criticism so far is about his favoured “vertical football” style, which relies on intensity and high press but has left Newcastle looking exposed against opponents who have picked them off.
Critics have suggested it is ill-suited to the Premier League and Newcastle have looked chaotic in spells this season. But the manager believes it needs to be refined rather than ripped up.
Indeed, it’s understood Jaissle will not abandon his principles in the face of the first signs of trouble – especially after frequently highlighting to the young group the benefits of playing that way – but he has sought counsel from senior players about the system and how they play their parts in it. The answers that came back were that the team were “100% committed” to the principles – including playing four at the back, a high press and intensity.
Sources close to Jaissle bristle at suggestions he is another Ruben Amorim, who paid the price for being too wed to one system. They stress he is prepared to tweak things and there’s built-in “flexibility” in his tactical set-up. Continued communication with the players – which is already a noticeable part of his strategy – will be a key thread of his approach moving forward and there is some mitigation for what’s happened in recent weeks.
There’s a belief, for example, that injuries and the lack of a specialist defensive number six – vital for his system – is part of the reason for some of the issues.
Time on the training ground and getting key men back should help. But there’s also probably a need for some understanding about what a difficult summer means for a team that deliberately lowered the age of their squad with “targeted” recruitment in the close season.
The i Paper understands that Jaissle has told his players of the need for “calm” and to try and disregard the “noise” after a week in which the team lost to Coventry and Aston Villa and some alarming tactical trends emerged.
He is unhappy and frustrated at the way the last two games have gone and recognises there are issues to address. But his pre-season warning that patchy runs were to be expected during a season of “transition” stands.
The club share many of those sentiments. The i Paper understands Jaissle met CEO David Hopkinson at 7am at the club’s KNOX training base on Monday to assess a bruising week. Newcastle’s players had a day off but the German has already begun preparation for what now feels like a crucial game against Crystal Palace.
Injuries have been a double whammy – depriving Jaissle of some of his key men but also leaving him without his most influential voices. Having sold their talisman Bruno Guimaraes in the summer, this is now an inexperienced group and new leaders have yet to emerge on the pitch. Insiders have noted it is a “quiet” group, which means having the likes of captain Dan Burn, Joelinton and even Anthony Elanga is crucial.
While Burn and Joelinton are now over their injuries, they are still some way off match sharpness – and the i Paper understands that even though Amar Dedic was on the bench on Saturday, he was not considered match fit.
He may return at Selhurst Park but it is not believed he could play the full 90 minutes if he does feature. Dedic is important to Jaissle’s style and Newcastle’s other right-back – Tino Livramento – is still some way off full fitness.
A bigger problem at the moment is the midfield balance, with Jaissle’s system requiring a more defensive-minded number six to play a “sitting role” and soak up pressure. But so far in almost all of the games, the midfield pairing has not worked as it should – with both players trying to press and getting pulled out of position. Sean Steur is hugely highly rated by Jaissle and Newcastle but that perhaps explains his omission in the last two games.
Finding an answer to that will be critical to Newcastle having more structure and organisation at Selhurst Park and beyond. But given the Magpies recruited extensively in that area over the summer, it does suggest one of their existing players may have to get used to playing deeper in the future – or adapt to a new role.
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He will benefit from patience from the club’s key decision-makers, at least. They describe the mood as “calm” – even if they are not satisfied by what’s happened over the last seven days.
While the Leeds game was viewed as unacceptable, there are bits to pick out of the last two matches that they can build on. The number of errors and wrong decisions – especially in the final third – are alarming, but could be rectified.
There has to be an element of understanding given the “2.0” project is a major change of direction. “We’re going through an adjustment period,” one senior source admits.