3. Pardew Has Listened
https://twitter.com/CHPopadom/status/528559191813009408 There's a very good chance Alan Pardew would not accept this one as much as some of his detractors, but the manager has actually changed his system to incorporate some of the things that fans have asked for a lot this season, and it has worked. The biggest element is the adoption of natural width. At the start of the season, Pardew didn't want Gabriel Obertan anywhere near his team - he'd left him at home for a pre-season tour after all - and it was probably only injury that allowed him in. Instead Remy Cabella and Yoan Gouffran played most of the early games - an attacking central midfielder and a converted striker - making life all too easy for full-backs. And of course, Moussa Sissoko played mostly on the right, an issue of annoyance for fans who say he's a central midfielder. It's taken time, but through trial and mostly error, and because of key injuries, Pardew has had to change the balance of his side, letting more traditional wingers like Sammy Ameobi, Obertan and Rolando Aarons play (even if he claims it's in a 4-3-3), and necessarily bring Sissoko into the middle. Those moves have been hugely profitable in the past few games especially, and it seems like some fans who called for change were indeed right.