Premier League 2023/24: How five-star Newcastle dismantled Villa in game week one – tactical analysis

With football leagues beginning all over Europe, teams are looking to put their new signings to good use and build on any success from the prior campaign. Newcastle United are no different in that sense, but there is a real buzz amongst the fans since the club gained new ownership, with thanks also going to Eddie Howe for guiding them to a top-four finish, finishing above the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

The Toon Army had big hopes for the summer transfer window, and the club has provided – players like Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes have both joined Howes team, and both had a positive impact in the season opener vs Aston Villa.

It would be fair to say that Newcastle were favourites for this tie before the first whistle, but not many predicted the five-goal showing in an opening day fixture against a team who themselves enjoyed a fine 2022/23 season in Aston Villa. This tactical analysis will look at two critical areas of Newcastles tactics that contributed to them picking up a 5-1 win.

The analysis will cover how Newcastle played in possession & build-up play – their approach of playing out from the back and the impact of their midfield in attack.

Newcastle lineup

The 4-3-3 not only suits the personnel at Howes disposal but also the way he wants his team to play in and out of possession – we saw that against Aston Villa. The back four and goalkeeper remained the same as last season, with there being some surprise that Dan Burn still starts at left-back in a high-energy, possession-based team.

The midfield trio, on paper, is full of talent, which also translated onto the pitch. Bruno Guimarães occupied the deeper midfield role, with Joelinton and new signing Sandro Tonali sat ahead of him. The latter played a vital role in Newcastles attacking tactics, as the analysis will show in more detail below.

Anthony Gordon won a