West Brom 0-2 Newcastle: 7 Key Ways The Baggies Were Blunted

4. Defensive Midfield Discipline

A massive - and probably underplayed - part of Newcastle's success at the minute comes down to a positional discipline that wouldn't typically be associated with the club if the media-propelled vision of a perpetually broken defensive culture is anything to go by. But with Jack Colback and Mehdi Abeid playing deep-lying defensive positions and simply reinforcing the back four whenever the opposition has the ball to stop play coming through the middle, Newcastle look like they're built on a rock at the minute. And with the wide-men - and in particular the fast-pressing, tough-tackling full-backs - showing no signs of being easily beaten down their flanks, opponents have to seek something special (or a mistake) to get through the back 6. The manager might talk up the ability of Tim Krul after every game at the minute, but quite frankly he's been a spectator for most of them because chances have simply been snubbed out before they've turned into real shots on goal.