Newcastle boss Eddie Howe masterminded a huge 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening to propel the Magpies into the Carabao Cup quarter-final. And the Englishman has named one key aspect he’s been working on which took Thomas Frank by surprise.
Newcastle won the Carabao Cup last season, and they’ll be looking to do so again this campaign, having ended their 70-year trophy drought in March.
A quarter-final place has now been booked against Premier League strugglers Fulham after beating Tottenham 2-0 on home turf under the lights, via headers from Fabian Schar and Nick Woltemade.
And, thanks to their stars being on the taller side, Eddie Howe has stated that Newcastle have been working hard on their set-pieces to beat teams and join a growing trend in English football – surprisingly getting one over Thomas Frank.
Eddie Howe is using height to his advantage at Newcastle with Spurs swept aside
The win now means that the Magpies are just four games away from further Carabao Cup glory, with Newcastle having won the trophy last season – and Eddie Howe’s men will be vying for more silverware.
However, Schar’s header from a corner and Woltemade’s flick over an onrushing Antonin Kinsky saw Newcastle take full advantage of their aerial prowess.
Dan Burn is the tallest outfield player in the league at 6ft 7in, whilst Woltemade is second – and couple that with Schar, Malick Thiaw and Joelinton among others, it means they are a real threat from set-pieces.
Height is a weapon that the club haven’t used much domestically, but Newcastle have used Burn’s frame in the Champions League.
And it’s something that Eddie Howe has worked on in recent weeks due to their advantage in that regard, given it worked against Tottenham. He said: “[It’s] something we’ve worked really hard on lately in our game.
“I think we have the height and power to cause teams problems.
“It’s great to see a great delivery from Sandro [Tonali] and Fabian’s [Schar] header was top class.
“He’s always had a goal in him, he’s always had that creative side of his game and it was a great moment for him.”
The result means that Newcastle have now won five of their last six games in all competitions after a poor start to the campaign and taking advantage of ongoing trends has worked in their favour.
Thomas Frank is a pioneer of set-pieces in the Premier League but he was found lacking
Surprisingly, a team under Thomas Frank’s guidance was dominated in the air. It’s not often that happens, especially after recent events.
Tottenham star Micky van de Ven stole the show vs Everton with two goals from corners at the weekend, and prior to Thomas Frank’s move to Tottenham in the summer, Brentford were considered one of the best aerial sides in the Premier League.
With Arsenal having been proficient at corners in recent times under Mikel Arteta, there is a league-wide discussion over how set-pieces are being used more.
Thomas Frank should be more than adept at dealing with them, with his unfashionable tactic working wonders at Brentford.
But Fabian Schar was allowed to ghost in between the defence to capitalise on the opener, and Antonin Kinsky’s dismal attempt to punch the ball clear saw him beaten by Woltemade.
That won’t be good enough for the Dane and with other teams now using the set-piece routine, he’ll need to sort it out quickly to stay ahead of the pack.