Pardew plays the patient and psychological game with Ben Arfa

Stood in front of the Milburn stand with his number 10 held aloft, Hatem Ben Arfa prepared to enter the field of play as a second half substitute against Blackburn; his first Premier League appearance since suffering a double leg break almost a year previous at Manchester City.

His adoring fans rose to their feet to herald the long awaited return of their Gallic favourite; in excitement and in recognition of his undoubted ability and courage to battle back from a potential career threatening injury.

Yet, it’s fair to say that Ben Arfa’s first team progress since has stuttered. Not a slur on the player, but more that his manager, Alan Pardew, appeared to be adopting a safety-first approach regarding his star player’s return from a lengthy injury lay-off. Or so it appeared..

As the saying goes, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ and for some Newcastle fans, the longer Ben Arfa remained on the sidelines, when fit for selection, the more they called for his inclusion.

The chants began most audibly during December’s 0-0 draw against Swansea. ‘Hatem-Ben-Arfa’ sang sections of the St James’ Park crowd, but Pardew was unrelenting, he ‘didn’t think the situation was right, and so Newcastle’s number 10 sat the remainder of the game out on the bench.

Just over a week later and Newcastle traveled to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton on Boxing Day. With the score at 0-0, and Newcastle appearing devoid of ideas, the Ben Arfa chants began to ring out from the traveling support again just after half time. This time, unlike against Swansea, the Newcastle fans got their wish. Ben Arfa came on, turned the game in Newcastle’s favour and scored in a 2-0 victory for the Magpies.

Surely now he would merit a starting place? Not so, as he was again named on the bench against Liverpool in the following fixture with youngster Haris Vuckic named in Ben Arfa’s designated ‘number 10′ role.

Speculation began to mount that Pardew had fallen out with the enigmatic Frenchman, something which the Newcastle manager was keen to play down, whilst also giving a typically honest assessment of the situation: “I know there have been suggestions, rumours, that he isn’t happy here, but it’s just not true. He’s fine, I think he knows he’s not at his best yet and the stats in the game he has played, I would expect better from him because of what a good player he is. He just needs to come up a level.”

Looking for answers, attention turned to Pardew’s tactics, none more so than the often hyperbolic #nufc clan on Twitter, and his apparent inability to find a place for Ben Arfa in his rigid 4-4-2 formation. ‘Why is Best/Shola playing ahead of Ben Arfa?’, How come Obertan is still getting his game?’, ‘James F*&kin Perch!!’, and so on..

All warranted subjects of discussion, perhaps, yet for all the focus on selection and tactics (yes, there was plenty of that from this domain..) little recognition was paid to Pardew’s man-management skills and ability to ‘get inside a player’s head’, as a factor for his non-selection of Ben Arfa.

After all, this was a player who, in going on strike to force his move to Newcastle, had shown himself to be something of an anti disciplinarian. And given that the football world, excluding Alan Shearer, had been keen to talk up his undoubted potential from an early age, it would not be incomprehensible should Ben Arfa have developed an ego that would make Nicklas Bendtner blush.

Pardew was within his rights as manager of Newcastle United football club to have some reservations over Ben Arfa’s character and ability to fit into Newcastle’s fairly new-found team ethos, togetherness and spirit. Not to ‘rock the apple cart’ if you will, which perhaps explains Ben Arfa’s so far sparse appearances.

Not only that, by keeping Ben Arfa out of the side, Pardew has shown that he will not be dictated by name and reputation and Ben Arfa, accustomed to being a guaranteed starter, has had to humbly bide his time on the bench. And, to be fair to him, he has quietly accepted that as the way of things at the club who stuck by and supported him during his recovery from injury; to play in this Newcastle side, he must play for this Newcastle side.

25 minutes here, half an hour there, will have no doubt whet Ben Arfa’s appetite and built up a hunger that may not have been as prevalent had he went straight back into the first team when fit.

FA Cup 3rd round vs Blackburn and that goal

Against the same side that he made his Premier League comeback, Ben Arfa was handed a start in the FA cup third round against Blackburn last weekend. Months of frustration and patience on the sidelines, coupled with a determination to impress, culminated in one of the greatest goals in recent memory as Ben Arfa danced through 5 or 6 Blackburn players, in a Messi-esque fashion, before eventually smashing the ball home from close range – a sensational way to mark his arrival.

In the week since, Pardew has been forthcoming in his praise for Ben Arfa and that goal:

“It is technically the greatest goal I have ever seen, you can smash them in from 40 yards but to score a goal like that you have to be a special talent and it was an unbelievable goal and I am really pleased for Hatem”.

“Hatem has to understand it is about the team and where we think he is best, but his talent was there for everyone to see today. He is doing everything in his power to make himself a success here and that is great for us”.

But these quotes aren’t merely sound bites, as is often the case nowadays in an over-saturated world of 24/7 football coverage and managers keen to grab more air time than Kerry Katona – looking at you ‘Arry. No, when Pardew speaks, he is always cerebral, open and honest. He is media-savvy, maintains a strong relationship with his players, and his praise for Ben Arfa is not only merited but intended to show his player that he has his backing; to show encouragement while at the same time giving no illusions about the level of performance expected.

Losing Demba Ba to the African Cup of Nations is a blow, but in his place Newcastle now have a fit, firing and full of confidence Frenchman ready to fill the role of Newcastle’s primary goal threat. It would be disingenuous to label this as a coincidence. Pardew has kept Ben Arfa on a leash (not literally, Jamie), like an angry pit bull terrier that’s raring to be let off, as was seen against Blackburn last weekend.

While the debate will rumble on about what Ben Arfa’s best position is – is he better as a number 10 or a winger? – his understanding of his role and what it takes to be a ‘current Newcastle player’ couldn’t be clearer, and for that the credit must lie at Pardew’s door.

While it may have appeared that Pardew has, at times, cut his nose off to spite his face in his none selection of Ben Arfa, I trust his judgement, as I do his management of the much maligned Gabriel Obertan. He has shown himself to be an excellent man manager with his players rarely, if ever, complaining in public, and he knows what makes his players tick.

He has played the patient and psychological game with Ben Arfa, keeping him hungry for a taste of the action, and Newcastle fans should now start to reap the benefits of this approach in the Premier League, starting with this Sunday’s home fixture against Q.P.R.

Finally, a small public service announcement…

Regular eagle-eyed readers of the site and our Twitter followers may have noticed that the Man United report and QPR preview weren’t uploaded to the site. We have made the decision to take a break from match previews and reports as they were becoming more of a chore, almost like homework, which was never the intention when we started the site in 2010. Naturally, we appreciate all the comments and feedback that we’ve had but for it to be enjoyable again, we’ve agreed to write on a more ad-hoc basis and when it feels appropriate, rather than when fixtures dictate. Although we still plan to write regularly; you aren’t getting away from our spiel that easily…Cheers, RD and Smith.

Newcastle vs Man Utd: Tactical Preview

04.01.2012 – Wednesday 7:45pm

Location:  St James’

Early prospects: Difficult

Newcastle return to St James’ for their first game of 2012, facing the daunting prospect of looking for a win against an opposition we have not beaten for over 10 years – Manchester United.

The beating at Anfield was nothing out of the ordinary given our past there, but it did leave a notable bitter taste in the mouth knowing that we can and have played far better than that recently – looking nervy and panicked for most of the 90minutes.  Going into this game we have to adopt a far better attitude towards the opposition, whilst remaining honest of our prospects against a significantly superior opposition.  Blackburn may have taken three points in their last outing at Old Trafford, but rode their luck substantially against an injury ridden Manchester United side that still amassed a whopping 27 shots and 17 corners.  A result should, of course, be far from expected but not impossible with a little luck and plenty professionalism.

Team Line-ups:

Note: Second guessing Alex Ferguson’s team selection is a thankless task – the veteran manager regularly rotating his team both in personnel and position to meet the demands of competing on all fronts.  This prediction is done with the best intentions, but also an honest acknowledgement that it is at the mercy of Ferguson’s unpredictable selection policy…

Gabriel Obertan was initially ruled out, but has since been declared fit to face his former club and should continue in the RM slot.  Ryan Taylor endured a torrid time against Liverpool after being obviously targeted, resulting in his substitution at half time – it’s expected Alan Pardew will revert back to the Italian with Manchester United’s pace threat from wide areas.  With this likely to be Demba Ba’s last league game before leaving for the ACN, it’s a strong possibility that Leon Best will return to partner him to get game time – although staying with the 4411 formation is equally likely.

Manchester Utd have had to endure an injury crisis of late – posting a very inexperienced bench for the match against Blackburn along with Michael Carrick in central defence.  Since however, Wayne Rooney has been declared fit for this tie and Sir Alex Ferguson also hoped to have Twitter’s Rio Ferdinand available to bolster his defence.  Michael Owen misses the opportunity for another hero’s welcome at St James’ – shame…

Opposition strengths and notable dangers:
Strengths amongst many…

•    Ball retention and pressing:  Like a number of occasions recently NUFC could have a problem dealing with MUFC’s ball retention – their average 84% pass completion rate and 55% possession being one of the strongest in the league.  Newcastle’s fairly frayed 78% pass completion rate against Liverpool give the home side on the day a march and allowed them to control much of the game – mainly down to the pressing of Liverpool’s midfielders.  The Red Devils adopt a very similar strategy throughout, but do far better at retaining possession when they regain it.

•    Wide play:  A very similar problem as was posed in the Liverpool fixture, the wide play of Man Utd is used as a primary method of attack and supplying the front line.  Their average of 26 crosses per game is 3rd most of all PL clubs and even without the explosive Ashley Young (ruled out through injury) MUFC have skilful and pacey talent available on the flanks.  A particular undoing against Liverpool was our inability to deal with their wide play, being unable to break free of the pressure they built from the flanks – this will again be a primary source of concern.

A final point of note is the unquantifiable problem of the wounded animal that is Manchester United after losing.  Blackburn gave the red half of Manchester a bloody nose with their win at Old Trafford on New Year’s day and they will be particularly determined to lose not ground on neighbours City in the title race after their unlikely slip-up.

Tactical suggestions:

•    More crosses:  Very important when playing a 4411 system, absolutely imperative when playing a 442 – the forward line cannot function effectively unless they have delivery from the wide areas, as well as an attacking threat of their own to give the opposition defence something more to worry about.  NUFC have been notably lacking this in some recent fixtures (only seven crosses were attempted vs Liverpool – only two of those by wingers) and resort to chipping / punting speculative balls straight to the forward line.  This needs correcting as a priority.

•    Pass the ball properly…:  NUFC have bettered a pass completion rate of 78% only once in our last five fixtures – sloppy possession notably creating irreversible periods of pressure against Liverpool.  MUFC are guaranteed to come looking for the ball and to press us consistently – we have to not panic and look for the right pass, as well as work harder to create space and passing opportunities to ensure we do not resort to speculative hits.

Naturally, we should look again to be organised, disciplined and work hard when not in possession – the fear of being rolled over by a team who has won 5-0 in two of their last three PL fixtures should resonate highly.

Final thought and gut feeling:
In theory, it’s a better time to play Man Utd with notable injuries and our home advantage – but they still look a strong outfit and with Dimitar Berbatov in scoring form they are a danger to anyone.  In our current form (particularly defensively) I think a draw would be an excellent result, but can’t see anything more than that.

As always, if you want our instant news and (kneejerk) reaction to anything Newcastle United or football related then follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/leazesterrace or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/leazesterrace

Halmstads: ’96

The Halmstads ticket office...

We’d already been to Wembley, where we’d been outplayed by Manchester United and soaked through as we made our way back to the pubs. 

Some of us had travelled on to Anderlecht’s Constant Vanden Stock Stadium two days later, hidden ourselves among Sunderland fans to see Les Ferdinand’s headed winner at a decrepit Roker Park, and seen Newcastle start their UEFA Cup campaign with a 4-0 home victory over Swedish part-timers Halmstads BK.  And now, as a squad containing Ferdinand, Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, David Ginola and Philippe Albert made their way to the west coast of Scandinavia, a hundred odd of us had just landed at Copenhagen Airport on a late September morning in 1996

We switched to a coach, hung our flags up in the back window and drove north through the capital towards the Helsingor ferry and Sweden, our third country of the day. I sat with a group from Shildon, County Durham who I’d met on the way to Carrow Road the previous season. “Aye, so I took a ball to Seaton sands,” said one, necking the last of an Elephant Beer, “and I chucked it to one of the seals.” “What happened?”  “Nowt, it just bounced away. I thought they’d be able to do tricks and that. I’ve seen them on the telly.” “You’ve never met Aldy, have you?” someone whispered. “It’s best not to ask.”

The beer ran out soon after Helsingborg and by the time we checked in to the Hotel Tylosand we were all straight on the hunt for more. The Blackpool of Sweden was how someone had described Halmstads, but it looked more like Bamburgh as we dumped our bags in the lobby and looked out at the beach: clean, windswept and completely unexciting.  Ordering a pint in the hotel bar taught us two immediate lessons: that alcohol in Sweden was even more expensive than Denmark and that we were staying in a building owned by the two members of Roxette, guitars and platinum discs laid out around the walls. “What country’s that?” asked Aldy, pointing through the window at a bit of land as wide as a football pitch, the height of a corner flag out of the sea and empty but for a couple of wooden cottages, a flag pole and a lighthouse painted in red. “Country? It’s just a rock, man,” answered an incredulous voice. “It’s about the same size as Jersey, isn’t it?” “Bergerac must have had an easy job, then.”

Dressed for success (sorry), a bendy bus took us to the Örjans Vall stadium and a bar that had apparently been smashed up by supporters of Djurgårdens a few weeks before.  We headed to the ground to collect our tickets, were pointed down the side of a river and ended up cutting across a field towards a small white caravan. “I want the ticket office not a hot dog,” someone muttered before we saw the open flap and a handwritten sign with ‘Tickets’ written on in marker pen.  It was in keeping with the rest of the facilities at the Örjans Vall, which had been built in the early 1920s and used for two of the games in the 1958 World Cup. As we took up our places in the uncovered stand behind the goal, we could see people playing tennis twenty metres from the pitch. This wasn’t exactly Cold Blow Lane.

A crowd of 7,500 people had come to see if Halmstads – who’d beaten Faustino Asprilla’s Parma side 3-0 at home a year earlier – could pull off a miracle. The home side lined up with a young Freddie Ljungberg; Newcastle had Shearer, Ferdinand and Asprilla in attack, and a makeshift back three of Albert, Darren Peacock and Warren Barton. There were always likely to be goals.

The first came  two minutes before the Hungarian referee whistled for half time, Ferdinand controlling a Keith Gillespie pass, spinning his marker and smashing a volley on the turn past Hakan Svensson in the Halmstads goal. For the few hundred travelling fans that would be as good as it got, the team attempting to coast through the second half before falling to two sucker punches in six minutes in the final quarter of the game. First Torbjorn Arvidsson bundled in after Pavel Srnicek parried a Robert Andersson shot, and then Magnus Svensson materialised from midfield to strike home the winner off the underside of the bar.  Keegan was visibly furious, his mood not helped by the Swedish TV crew who unwisely asked “Tell us, Kevin – did you let Halmstads win tonight?”  “If we think we’re the sort of side who can go out, stroll about and win games then we’re kidding ourselves,” he said in his post-match press conference.  Aldy was just as puzzled the following day. “Is this fruit ok to eat, do you reckon?” he asked, staring at the breakfast buffet. “It’s not poisoned, if that’s what you mean,” someone answered. “Nah, man,” he said, shaking his head at the stupidity of the reply, “but it might be that plastic stuff, just for display.”

Which is probably how Manchester United felt three and a bit weeks later.

If you want to see a few more nostalgic photos from the European trips of the mid 90′s, take a look at this page.

Author: Michael Hudson

Website: The Accidental Groundhopper

Bio: The day I finally accepted I was never going to be even half as talented on the football pitch as Archie Gourlay I decided to do the next best thing and follow Newcastle United wherever they played. After moving abroad, I’ve since followed wildly unsuccessful football teams around South Korea, Japan, Italy, Latvia, Czech Republic and Ukraine. Still to see any of them win a trophy. Beginning to think it might be me.

You can also find Michael and his vast knowledge of football on twitter: @DolphinHotel

Tactical analysis: Liverpool 3 Newcastle 1 in 5 key points

30.12.11 – Friday 7:45pm
Anfield
Barclays Premier League

Liverpool 3
Bellamy 29, 67
Gerrard 78

Newcastle 1
Agger (own goal) 25

Newcastle continued their dismal record at Anfield in a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool; their 7th consecutive loss at the home of the Reds.

1. Team selection and tactics

Newcastle made only 1 change to the side that won 2-0 against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Boxing Day, with youngster Haris Vuckic replacing Leon Best. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish made a pair of changes to his Liverpool side that had drew 1-1 at home against Blackburn on Boxing Day. Jay Spearing replaced Maxi Rodriguez in midfield, while Craig Bellamy replaced perennial victim Luis Suarez in attack.

Alan Pardew, no doubt wary of Newcastle’s poor record at Anfield, switched from his favoured 4-4-2 formation to a more defensive, deep and narrow 4-4-1-1 and very much set Newcastle up to guard against the opposition’s strengths than play to their own. Liverpool also moved away from their 4-4-2 formation to a more attacking and expansive 4-3-3 formation with an emphasis on exploiting space in wide areas. The contrasting strategies of both sides meant that the game was mainly played in Newcastle’s half as they surrendered attacking impetus to their opponents.

2. Liverpool attack the flanks

Red peppered - Liverpool's 22 unsuccessful crosses

The absence of Luis Suarez up front lead to Liverpool adopting a more direct approach, which played to the strengths of their lone front man Andy Carroll. Borrowed from the Martin O’Neill book of tactics, the game plan was a simple one – get the ball into wide areas and deliver crosses for Carroll to attack. A tactic which saw the Reds attempt 26 crosses in open play; almost quadruple the 7 that Newcastle played.

The majority of those crosses (65%) were played from the right side, with Stewart Downing regularly using his pace to get in behind Ryan Taylor (substituted at half time) before crossing or laying the ball off to Glen Johnson, playing almost as a second right winger, to deliver. On the whole, the crosses were of a substandard quality from Liverpool – often hit along the ground to Carroll’s visible frustration – and were dealt with reasonably well by Newcastle, but their crossing persistence paid off indirectly for the equaliser when a cleared cross fell to the feet of Bellamy to fire home.

3. Liverpool close and chase to win back possession

LFC tackles: most in middle third

When without the ball, again, Liverpool’s game plan was simple. The players – in particular the central midfield trio of Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Jay Spearing – were given instructions to pressurise their opponents to win back possession by working hard, chasing the ball, and closing down space for Newcastle to play into, which they generally did very well.

Spearing, of Pinky and the Brain fame, played in the defensive midfield role with the primary purpose of breaking up Newcastle’s play. Spearing carried out his defensive duties effectively and was the game’s top tackler with 4 tackles. Alongside him, Adam and Henderson, both typically more offensive minded midfielders, weighed in with 2 tackles each. The pressing tactic was an uncomplicated one, but helped to restrict Newcastle’s time on the ball and attacking options, often leading to them inadvertently giving the ball back to their opponents.

4. Newcastle lack attacking threat

To counter Liverpool’s attacking play in wide areas, the Newcastle wingers – Jonas Gutierrez and Gabriel Obertan – generally tended to drop deeper to support their full backs who struggled when 1-on-1 against the pacey Liverpool wide men. However, this meant that when Newcastle won possession that their wingers were positioned deep in their own half where they couldn’t impact on the game in an attacking sense. On the odd time that they did have the ball in the opposition half, the overly-cautious full backs were short on support as Newcastle’s wing play faltered.

NUFC completed passes in LFC half - very few in final third

With space and time on the ball also restricted in the centre of midfield, and with Vuckic, playing as the link man between midfield and attack, generally playing with his back to goal (only completing 3 forward passes), Newcastle’s attacking play was limited. This often lead to hopeful balls played through the centre to isolated lone striker Demba Ba. The Premier League’s second top scorer put up an admirable fight and was unlucky not to score with a shot cleared off the line, but it was a tactic that was always sure to be short on returns against one of the strongest centre back pairings in the league – Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel – and so it proved.

5. Scores level, substitutes on

Freedom to roam: Gerrard's passing heat map

With 59 minutes played and the sides level at 1-1, Kenny Dalglish brought on Captain Steven Gerrard, returning from a long term injury, to replace Charlie Adam in the Liverpool midfield. Alan Pardew, as he had done to positive effect in Newcastle’s previous two fixtures, responded to the calls from the travelling support and brought on Hatem Ben Arfa, also recovering from a long term injury, for Haris Vuckic on 65 minutes. Both managers had used their ‘trick-up-the-sleeve’ substitution, but to varied success.

Brought on to increase Newcastle’s attacking threat, Ben Arfa was unable to find space in a crowded midfield area to take advantage. Although he used the ball well in the little time that he had it, he only managed 11 touches and was unable to complete a pass in the final third. Gerrard’s introduction, meanwhile, appeared to lift the performance levels of his teammates, as well as the Anfield crowd. With Spearing and Henderson providing the midfield axis, Gerrard was given freedom to roam from his central position and, without a man marker, found space well in attacking areas and delivered some excellent crosses from the right. A fine cameo appearance from Liverpool’s captain was capped by a well taken goal, which effectively ended the tie as a contest and wrapped up the 3 points for the home side.

At the end of the day…

Having suffered 6 consecutive defeats at Anfield prior to this and having also lost their final Premier League fixture of the year in their last 7 seasons in the top flight, the outcome was almost inevitable for Newcastle who again underperformed and returned from Anfield on the losing side.

Without wanting to be too harsh on a Newcastle side that have far exceeded expectations this season, the initial feeling post-match was one of frustration in not being able to take advantage of a Liverpool side missing key players and for gifting the second and third goals through defensive errors.

The Newcastle tactics seemed to be to keep possession, frustrate the home crowd and build steady attacks. Unfortunately, the only evidence of this was a 5 minute spell in which Newcastle kept the ball for 30-40 passes in front of the Kop in the second half.

At times, Newcastle almost looked in awe of their opponents and the occasion and, as well as looking uncharacteristically shaky in possession, perhaps showed too much respect to Liverpool who have dropped points to lesser teams already this season.

That said, given the expenditure by both sides in 2011, Liverpool should have been way out in front against Newcastle and, although they were the better team and deserved of the 3 points, there wasn’t that much in it until the introduction of Steven Gerrard on the hour mark. A defeat, but certainly not a disgrace.

Now at the half way stage of their season, Newcastle sit in 7th place on 30 points, although they could drop to 8th should Stoke win their next two fixtures before they next play. Regardless, it is still an excellent first half of the season by Alan Pardew and his men.

Next up for Newcastle is a home fixture against Man United on Wednesday night; 7:45pm kick off. Having held the champions to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in November, the Magpies will be hoping for at least the same in the return fixture. Thankfully Cabaye and Coloccini will both be available for the difficult fixture against the Red Devils, having both successfully avoided a fifth yellow card of the season at Liverpool which would have lead to a suspension.

Happy New Year to you all!

As always, if you want our instant news and (kneejerk) reaction to anything Newcastle United or football related then follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/leazesterrace or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/leazesterrace

Liverpool vs Newcastle: Tactical Preview

30.12.2011 – Friday 7:45pm

Location:  Anfield

Early prospects:  Familiar

After consigning the woes of Boxing Day travels to history, Newcastle take to the road again this Friday to face another traditionally miserable fixture – facing Kenny Dalglish’s shoestring budget Liverpool side at Anfield.

The performance against Bolton may have been less than convincing to some over the full 90 minutes, but a crucial return to our early season form of grinding out a win (particularly away from home) through disciplined organisation and ruthless finishing was very reassuring.  The badly missed physical addition of Mike Williamson did much for this to materialise, and will be needed even more as we face a far more difficult prospect this time around than that of struggling Bolton..

Team Line-ups:
Our hosts today are yet to lose a home fixture this season, equal only to Man City.  However their six draws at Anfield is more than any other PL side at home this season and their three wins is as many as Wolves have managed at home.  Glass half-full / half-empty…

Davide Santon is expected to be available for selection again after knee trouble saw him miss the trip to Bolton, largely as a precaution.  Whether he returns to the starting XI after Ryan Taylor’s tidy performance and assist in our previous fixture is another thing – thoughts tending towards Taylor staying put to continue his good partnership with Jonas Gutierrez.  Elsewhere, goal machine Demba Ba limped through the final minutes of the same fixture but looks okay to start in this fixture.  Hatem Ben Arfa staked a claim for a starting return and is likely to do so with Pardew favouring the 4411 formation in our more stern away fixtures.

The home side have eternal victim Luis Suarez banned for this fixture and will likely replace him with former NUFC striker Craig Bellamy.  Captain Steven Gerrard made a substitute return from injury on Boxing day, completing roughly 20minutes – despite the long term absence of Lucas Leiva it’s unlikely Gerrard will return to their starting XI just yet.

Opposition strengths and notable dangers:
•    Shot heavy:  Liverpool have amassed the third highest shots per game out of all PL sides this season at an aggressive 18.3 per game, largely done so through their creative and passing ability in central midfield, combined with a typical 442 formation which looks to use width to provide service to the front two, as well as attacking from the side areas themselves.  Liverpool’s inability to turn these chances into goals has been a burden on their season – especially when considering their impressive defensive strength – but the sheer fact that they can regularly carve their opponents open is a very obvious strength, and danger to us.

•    Full back support:  As mentioned previously, The Reds regularly look to use width in attacking, with the majority of their play coming equally down either flank (as shown, right).  Much of their ability to do this is from the support afforded to their wide midfielders by full-backs Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique.  NUFC fans need not be reminded about Enrique’s insistence of getting forward, regularly pushing Jonas Gutierrez up the field with him in his time here.  The enthusiasm and work rate of both mean their defensive duties are not sacrificed as a result and both with will be a stubborn opposition through the entire 90minutes.

•    Tight defence:  After settling with a more dynamic and balanced (and younger) centre back pairing of Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger, as well as buying a much needed strong left-back (yes, we know who…) Liverpool’s defence looks as tight as ever, and the stats seem to support that.  They concede just over an average of 13 shots per game (fifth tightest in the PL) and have conceded the join least number of goals so far of 14 in 18 fixtures.  They do say to build from the back…

A final point of note is the ex-factor…  Hardly a scientific point of course, but prospectively with three former Newcastle players in their ranks, two forming the strike partnership the likelihood to be bitten in the backside is as notably dangerous as it is annoying…

Tactical suggestions:
•    Stay organised and disciplined:  Arguably the most important part of our strategy for this fixture.  A quick review Liverpool’s form strongly suggests we will be on the back foot for most of the game – if NUFC can react to this probable eventuality then the right attitude can be adopted do limit opposition chances, increase control of the ball and carve out more of our own counter attacking opportunities.  Going fluid and trying to match Liverpool toe to toe would be taking a huge risk (although granted, it would be a cracking game to watch…) and one far less likely to reap point rewards.

•    Smother Adam:  Charlie Adam has taken to life at Liverpool without much trouble, and although not as crucially integral to the entire team as he was at Blackpool he plays a very important part in driving the team forward from midfield and creating chances.  Averaging 51 passes per game (second only to gthe now injured Lucas), keeping Adam under close scrutiny will help limit his influence and Liverpool’s fluency greatly.

•    Limit the crosses:  Liverpool’s average of 29 crosses per game is unsurprisingly the highest of all PL teams – with one nearly every three minutes.  Given the very real and obvious aerial threat of Andy Carroll waiting in the centre we should look to limit this service wherever possible.

Final thought and gut feeling:
The win at Bolton was very timely in preventing a downturn in form becoming something of real concern.  But we should equally not overestimate it – the win was a functional three points but only three points and means little when competing for your next three points.  Offer me a draw now and I will take that without question – however we will have to approach this fixture with supreme discipline to take that.

As always, if you want our instant news and (kneejerk) reaction to anything Newcastle United or football related then follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/leazesterrace or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/leazesterrace