This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
If Newcastle are to get anything from the clash against Aston Villa, Steve Bruce will have to ensure once again that his team are tough to break down.
If they provide defensive solidity while providing a threat on the counter-attack, they may be able to replicate recent wins against West Ham and Bournemouth.
On both of those occasions they managed to negate the threat of key players such as Felipe Anderson, Ryan Fraser and Joshua King, and much of that was because of the performance of Isaac Hayden.
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It is little surprise that his return from suspension has coincided with an upturn in form, as no other Newcastle midfielder is able to fulfil the role he performs – his duties are key to Bruce’s system.
He has gone from being a bit-part player under Rafa Benitez – making 21 league starts last season – to acting as the chief protector of the backline.
As per WhoScored, his 2.9 tackles and 1.8 interceptions mean he cuts out danger with great efficiency, and against a midfield consisting of Jack Grealish and John McGinn that will be pivotal.
Villa possess a threat in a variety of areas but there is no doubting that Grealish is the main man, with the captain backing up his talismanic-like status with four goals and three assists this term.
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Added to that, Grealish often provides a constant attacking threat in the opposition half, and has 2.5 key passes and 1.9 successful dribbles per game, as per WhoScored.
He likes to get in between the midfield and defence, picking up the ball to run towards goal before finding a teammate or offloading a pass, and Bruce must be prepared for that.
One solution is to limit the space between defence and midfield by playing them close to each other, but given that is the domain in which Hayden operates, a lot of expectation is on his shoulders.
This will be another difficult test for the former Arsenal man, but as long as he keeps his composure and stays on his feet – which he didn’t against Leicester – then he should be able to keep a close an eye on the Villa man and reduce his influence.
If he achieves that Newcastle will keep a key threat quiet, and as long as the front-three can reproduce their recent form, particularly Allan Saint-Maximin, then the Magpies may keep their current run going.