Newcastle United face Fulham tomorrow in a massive game at Craven Cottage, with Matthias Jaissle’s men desperate to pick up three points and calm the growing concerns as they head into the international break.
In theory, Alvaro Arbeloa’s side mark one of the better opportunities to do just that, with Fulham struggling to put consistent performances together in a similar vein to their Northern counterparts. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be big dangers that Newcastle have to overcome if they are to make the away trip a happy one.
Perhaps the biggest of those dangers, especially when looking at what Newcastle have struggled against so far this season, is the dynamic profile of Alex Iwobi.
Why Iwobi could cause trouble
Despite Fulham not exactly setting the Premier League alight this season, Alex Iwobi continued the rich vein of form shown over the past few seasons, quickly emerging as one of their top performers once again.
In particular, it has been the Nigerian’s creative abilities that have really gained him plaudits, with his numbers not only putting him in the upper echelon of all Premier League players but also those across Europe. The 30-year-old has created more chances than 86% of all midfielders in Europe’s top leagues this season.
That alone should ring alarm bells for the Magpies, but when you add in the nuanced nature of Iwobi’s position for Fulham, the prospect of facing him becomes even more worrying.
Iwobi will likely lineup off the left-flank, but rather than playing as an out-and-out winger he will often dirft inside and step into the half-spaces, something which has cause trouble for Newcastle before, namely with Marcus Tavernier against Bournemouth.
The Nigerian also has a tendency to create from slightly deeper than you would normally see from a winger, picking up the ball where it is difficult for the opposition full-back to engage and looking to thread balls into forward areas.
All in all, it feels like Iwobi could prove a tricky customer for the Magpies to pick up and get close to. The Nigerian will likely cause issues for Newcatle’s press, given the spaces he takes up and tendency for Jaissle’s full-backs to get really high, and will also prove a problem when those open spaces arise in transition - both in central areas and wide areas vacated by Amar Dedic.
How do Newcastle stop him
It’s beginning to sound like a broken record but Newcastle simply have to tighten up their defensive structure without the ball.
Whether it be those central areas where Nico Gonzalez is often hung out to dry or the ridiculous gaps created in wide areas by trying to play a flat six across the front line, the Magpies are prone to leaving the exact sort of space that Iwobi thrives in creatively.
But truth be told, it isn’t just Iwobi. In fact, if he fails to impact the game, then you can expect New England call-up Josh King and Oscar Bobb, who has haunted Newcastle before, to not be far behind on the creative front during those transitions.
If the Magpies can tighten up those big gaps, there will no doubt be areas the Magpies can exploit. Not least that, barring Josh King who has a reasonable defensive work ethic, those three exactly the most industrious without the ball.
That sentiment especially pertains to the man in question, Iwobi, who may well struggle to cover the lung-bursting runs of Amar Dedic down the right flank and, if Newcastle can force him back into his own half, a large chunk of the attacking threat will be disabled for Arbeloa’s men.
But, as mentioned, a very fine line will have to be tread, because if Newcastle turn the ball over at the sort of rate we have seen in previous games, there is no doubt that Iwobi will once again show some of the quality that has made him such a revered member of the Fulham XI.
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