Newcastle United conceded the opening goal in their clash with West Ham United to Craig Dawson in embarrassing fashion. The central defender ran past multiple defenders before nodding home a free header.
It was far too easy for Dawson who made the Newcastle defence look all at sea with his smart run. Joe Willock managed to equalise for the Magpies just before the break which completed the scoring for the tie.
Will Eddie Howe keep Newcastle up?Yes!
No!
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Question marks were raised over the high line deployed for the set piece that allowed Dawson to open the scoring, with former Premier League centre half James Collins slamming Eddie Howe’s tactics.
Writing for the BBC, he said: “Newcastle’s defensive line looked far too high. It’s a clever run from Craig Dawson, who snuck in and got a free header. Why not start in a deeper position? I don’t get their fascination with keeping this high line.”
We’ve seen plenty of criticism for high defensive lines this season, with Liverpool using it consistently in open play as well as set pieces. They have deployed it incredibly successfully though, with analysis seeming to debunk much of the criticism.
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If Newcastle can work and perfect playing the high line as a team then it looks like a very good tactic to use, especially with VAR being in operation to help offside decisions being correctly called.
The result in London leaves Newcastle still just the place above the drop zone, but now they’re five points clear of the drop. Gaining points with Kieran Trippier and Allan Saint-Maximin injured is massive for the Magpies in their hunt for survival.
In other news, Lee Ryder lauds Joelinton