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Why Jaissle can be Newcastle’s Arteta, not their Amorim
4 min read
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Newcastle’s turbulent summer has continued into the Premier League season, with new head coach Matthias Jaissle quickly becoming familiar with the immense highs of English football as well as the uncomfortable lows.
Having endured a difficult transfer window which included the departure of stars Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, as well as the surprise resignation of manager Eddie Howe, Jaissle arrived in August to a tense situation on Tyneside.
But the German coach immediately provided a calming presence and restored hope to a deflated fanbase by quickly finding a rhythm with a new squad, filled with underperforming stars and more than €300 million worth of young, unproven signings.
A five-match unbeaten start in all competitions, including impressive displays against Liverpool and Tottenham, was almost too good to be true, with Newcastle suffering two 4-1 defeats in their last three Premier League matches away to Leeds and Coventry.
In particular, Newcastle’s overall performances have revealed structural flaws even in their unbeaten run, yet Jaissle has proven defiant in his approach, insisting he will not compromise his values.
The 38-year-old’s confidence is admirable but it has drawn parallels to Ruben Amorim’s mindset at Manchester United, which ultimately cost the highly-rated coach his job and Jaissle may be treading a similar path unless he shows more adaptability as he gains experience in English football.
Matthias Jaissle: Newcastle boss sticking to script after mixed start
Jaissle appointment at Newcastle proved intriguing, with the German having won back-to-back Asian Champions League trophies with Al-Ahli after two straight league titles with Red Bull Salzburg.
Although there were reservations over whether Jaissle’s success could translate at a higher level, there were no doubts over his mindset, philosophy and coaching ability and his methods were widely praised after Newcastle’s Premier League season opener against Liverpool, which saw them concede a late 2-2 draw after a dominating performance.
Yet, since then, Newcastle have never really matched the intensity of that match – a home fixture that was emotionally charged largely by a stadium tribute to the late Kevin Keegan – and familiar issues have begun to creep in, culminating in the stunning losses to Leeds and Coventry.
Worryingly, Newcastle’s underlying stats suggest they have been riding their luck and are fortunate to be sitting 11th after six games, ranking 16th for expected points and expected goals as well as having the fourth-most expected goals against.
Of course, the sample size is small and any vocal pressure on Jaissle is largely made up of pessimistic fans rather than any lack of faith from Newcastle, but the coach has had an intriguing reaction when concerns have been suggested to him over his system.
“No, No. No. Absolutely the wrong approach,” Jaissle said last month when asked if he would shy away from his preferred 4-2-3-1 setup. “We're really clear in the way we want to play with our principles behind that. That gives the players a clear framework. The formation is not too important.”
Jaissle has insisted that Newcastle’s recent defeats have come from a failure to execute the ‘fundamentals’ as opposed to anything inherently wrong with their approach and, while that may be true, the regularity with which Newcastle’s two-man system is carved open has led to them conceding the third-most shots per game of any team in the league.
No, No. No. Absolutely the wrong approach.
- Matthias Jaissle when asked if he would change his system at Newcastle.To Jaissle’s credit, Newcastle have immediately been hit by several injuries to key players, which has led to different midfield pairings in three of their opening six league matches – providing even more difficulty to a completely revamped squad of new, raw and unfamiliar signings.
The vast majority of Newcastle’s players are still developing chemistry with teammates and familiarity to the Premier League, as well as Jaissle’s new system after five years under Howe, so patience will need to be awarded before his methods can truly be judged.
Why Arteta – not Amorim – is the blueprint for Jaissle at Newcastle
Amorim’s United are the cautionary tale. The 41-year-old proved more radical than Jaissle and oversaw a stark decline with a Man Utd squad that had otherwise proven more capable, trying to shoehorn them into a rigid system that did not suit his players, even if it brought success abroad.
Similarly, Mikel Arteta was often criticised for his tactics after taking over at Arsenal in 2019 and he, too, remained adamant that he would stick to his principles – a decision which has been rewarded by his side’s constant progress and eventual title success since then.
While Jaissle will, undoubtedly, have to be more flexible with his team, particularly with versatile stars like Joelinton and William Osula returning to fitness, the Newcastle boss should be afforded time to learn, make mistakes and gain experience just like his young squad.
The return to form of players such as Joe Willock, Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa, as well as Lewis Hall’s phenomenal progress, suggests that Jaissle is having a positive effect on his players and their performances will naturally evolve over time when fitness, injuries and chemistry improves.
Jaissle has done a stellar job at lifting Newcastle at a time when they needed it most and, if given time, he has shown that there is enough reason to be optimistic that he can be closer to an Arteta rather than an Amorim at St James’ Park as time goes on.
But, with tough fixtures ahead, Newcastle's willingness to grant that patience will be tested soon enough.
