Howe: Front pairing does not appeal
EDDIE Howe has revealed he doesn’t foresee Newcastle United opting to play with two strikers in the Premier League next season, writes LEE RYDER.
The Newcastle head coach has operated with a 4-3-3 formation for much of his tenure so far but does not believe the club will go down the path of a central pairing.
This has served the club well in the past with superb partnerships like Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley, Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand plus Shearer and Craig Bellamy getting plenty of success.
But in an era where the majority of coaches play with a solitary striker, Howe does not sound like he is about to give Callum Wilson and Chris Wood a run in the team together.
Speaking about the possibility of playing with a front two, Howe said: “I’d say it’s not how we’re playing at the moment.
“We’re playing in a different way to that – not with two strikers.
“I’m not saying it would be impossible, but I think it would maybe be difficult for us to incorporate both into the same team, and still produce a team that is strong enough off the ball to withstand that.”
And when summing up why he won’t go down that route, Howe said: “I think a lot of the problems with two strikers, and why I wouldn’t say gone out of the game, but probably going out of the game, is because off the ball, you have big spaces.
“Your midfield and back four find themselves with huge spaces to defend.
“It’s not something I’d say that I’d never do, but it’s certainly not something that’s in my immediate plans to play that way.”