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Newcastle United can benefit from this international break

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: General view inside the stadium where a view of Newcastle can be seen during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St. James Park on February 11, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: General view inside the stadium where a view of Newcastle can be seen during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St. James Park on February 11, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United have to wait one more weekend to play Huddersfield Town, but the Magpies can benefit from this international break.

It will be another quiet weekend on Tyneside, as the Toon Army must wait until March 31 to watch their Magpies take on Huddersfield Town at St. James’ Park. Having just played a friendly match against Royal Antwerp in Spain, this international break gives Newcastle United an extra week to train and recover.

The match against Huddersfield Town could very well determine Newcastle’s top flight status and that is why an extra week off is not a bad thing. The only negative aspect of this international break is that it cuts into Newcastle’s momentum after defeating Southampton earlier this month.

It is unfortunate that the Magpies have not competed for points since March 10, but three points against the Terriers will make the wait worthwhile. Rafa Benitez knows that this is a great opportunity for his team to jump to 35 points with two months left to play. With that being said, let us take a look at how Newcastle should utilize this break.

4-4-2 Formation

Benitez will either go with his standard 4-2-3-1 formation or he will emphasize attacking through the 4-4-2 setup. Newcastle are playing against the second-worst defensive club in the Premier League so the 4-4-2 formation is Benitez’s best option.

Writing up the formation is one thing, but effectively using it is another. Newcastle have been successful with four players in the middle in terms of maintaining more possession and taking more chances. The scoring precision has been lacking all season, but that was not an issue against Southampton two weeks ago.

As long as the Magpies can create several chances, especially in the first half, they should be able to score. To put things into perspective, Huddersfield Town have conceded 52 goals in 31 matches this season.

Inside-Outside Passing

With Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame playing so well in recent months, the overall passing performance of the club has also improved. The key to defeating Huddersfield Town will not be passing the ball more, but making meaningful passes.

With Kenedy and Matt Ritchie playing well on the wings, spreading the ball out wide will cause trouble for Huddersfield’s questionable defense. As a result, Newcastle’s wingers should face the most pressure in training during this break. The wingers’ abilities to cross the ball and shoot from distance by cutting inside will be necessary for three points.

Defensive Variations

Goals up top are important, but so is preventing them in the back. With two consecutive clean sheets against Manchester United and Southampton at home, the Magpies defense has greatly improved in 2018. Like Newcastle, Huddersfield Town also lack a strong finisher. While that benefits Newcastle’s back-line, it also means that multiple players will be pressing high for a chance to score.

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It can also be expected that Huddersfield Town will be reliant on the counter-attack for most of the match. With that potentially being the case, Newcastle United must be prepared to have defenders out of position. This would be necessary for the purpose of obstructing passing lanes, intercepting dangerous passes and making quick clearances in the penalty area.