Newcastle: 6 Signs Pardew Actually HAS Changed Philosophy

6. The Quick Transition Out Of Defence

One of the real keys of the system working at the minute is the speed with which Newcastle break with the ball out of defence. If they weren't turning the ball over and quickly breaking to try and punish the opposition for over-committing, or to punch holes through the unprotected defence, they wouldn't carry any goal threat. With Moussa Sissoko in the middle, Newcastle carry the ball out a lot quicker. Jack Colback becomes the ball-playing midfielder (he's made the most passes of the whole team) and tends to look forward or wide to the wings, rather than going sideways to another defensive midfield. This is a step in the right direction as it brings the more dangerous players onto the ball. At the start of the season, this wasn't the case. Though Emmanuel Riviere and Remy Cabella were held up as scapegoats, it was in fact the presence of Cheick Tiote that made Newcastle's transitions to attack so unsuccessful. Rather than attempting to move forward, the Ivorian's agenda was simply to keep possession, so he'd pick the ball up from the centre-halves from two yards away and either pass it back to them, or pass it to Colback. Two unnecessary steps in the transition. And a change for the better.