5 Possible Systems Pardew Might Use To Accommodate Newcastle's New Signings

5. De Jong At The Heart Of A 4-2-3-1

First of all, there's some assumptions to be made. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is, obviously, a much better footballer than Steven Taylor and Mike Williamson. You know it, I know it, they all know it... but Alan Pardew doesn't seem to know it, so it probably makes sense to leave him out. Also, Paul Dummet seems destined to finally start his journey towards getting his own testimonial match at Carlisle United fairly soon, so it's safe to presume that either Santon or Haidara will be filling the left back berth. One imagines we'll see Gouffran on the left until Pardew gets the nerve to finally play Cabella, Janmaat's a straight swap for Debuchy, and for whatever reason he likes Sissoko on the right, so don't shout at me for using him there, thanks.

After messing around with the shape considerably, Newcastle eventually settled on a 4-2-3-1 system at some point last season, Yohan Cabaye doing a wonderful job in the number 10 role before his departure, and... well... the less said about the variations that were tried after he left the better. Regardless, it's clear that this is a shape that Pardew favours, and with his long search for a perfect "in the hole" player seemingly ending with Siem De Jong, it's safe to assume that he'll deploy it as a staple this season.

The acquisition of De Jong is arguably one of the most significant in Pardew's tenure, with the manager's instant decision to appoint him vice-captain showing how important he sees him becoming at the club. De Jong is a wonderfully well rounded player, capable of providing a goal threat from midfield whilst also having the discipline to play deeper and control the game, and it's likely Pardew will look to build the side around him over the coming season.

Playing him in the central creative position of a 4-2-3-1 enables him to be the focal point of any attacking moves, arriving late to support the centre forward or pulling out to the flanks to create overloads, but also enables him to drop back toward the midfield two (Vurnon Anita's industry and Cheick Tiote's massive, massive thighs complementing his strengths nicely) to dictate the tempo and disrupt the opposition. Somewhere between Yaya Toure last season, and Frank Lampard circa 2005. In theory, anyway.