Why Matthias Jaissle must get Newcastle United midfield right against Leeds United
Newcastle United travel to Elland Road tomorrow to face Leeds United in what will be a testing challenge for Matthias Jaissle, not least because the hosts are a little bit of an unknown and could set up in a plethora of ways.
Daniel Farke's men have started the season well and, at home, will surely see this game as an opportunity to really put some pressure on a Newcastle side who have looked shaky at times defensively.
But Farke has been open about the adaptability of his system, with the exact principles very much varying depending on the opposition. What that means is that Newcastle will have to be adaptable too and may need to strike a very fine midfield balance to ensure every possibility is accounted for.
How will Leeds set up
Leeds United have quite an intriguing set up.
Farke will be looking for his side to put Newcastle under pressure in their initial build-up phase , which may see a lot of the same patterns emerge that characterised the Bournemouth game.
As with last weekend, Jaissle's men will need to find a way to penetrate that press and pick out passes through the lines so as not to get stuck in their own third, as has been the case a lot this season.
When Leeds win the ball back, they will look to launch quick counter-attacks in transition, much like we have seen from Newcastle when at their free-flowing best this season.
So, not only will the Magpies need to be dynamic with the ball, but they'll also need to be structured and controlled to prevent their opponents from exploiting spaces during turnovers.
How Newcastle can maintain control in central areas
With that being said, Jaissle faces a bit of a predicament in terms of his selection in midfield.
If the Bournemouth game is anything to go by, Nico Gonzalez and Lewis Miley aren't quite the answer when it comes to aggressive progression, but it does feel as though at least one of them needs to be there when control and calm is the name of the game.
So, what is the answer?
Well, given the extra experience that Nico Gonzalez has, it makes sense to lean toward him as one of the starters meaning, very harshly I must admit, I have Miley being dropped.
Instead, it may make sense to pair Gonzalez with someone like Jacob Ramsey, a partnership which we saw midweek against Millwall.
Whilst Ramsey isn't necessarily going to produce anything spectacular, we know he has a penchant for progressive carries and driving through the thirds, he is able to penetrate opposition lines (albeit most commonly in forward areas), but he also has that air of calm and discipline which should prevent Gonzalez from being left exposed when Newcastle lose the ball.
