Do we really need HBA to track back?

Obertan is absolutely woeful defensively and I can't see how Benni could be worse bar not bothering to go back at all. All Benni has to do to match Obertans defensively ability is run back. He doesn't need to tackle, track his man or any other of those boring defensive duties, Obertan certainly doesn't. No one man has received more bollockings off Cabaye this season. You can tell he hates his "I'll just not bother tracking him and let him run off the back of me" mentality!

 

I know its a long shot, but play a 4-5-1 with HBA on RW and Guthrie, Tiote and Cabaye controlling the midfield, would dominate possession and would need less tracking back from the wingers in a sense if we were winning more balls in midfield, means we could push up further, wouldn't mind trying this against teams who play 3 CM's i.e. Swansea and Man City.

 

When Benny loses the ball he actually works pretty hard to try and win it back, most notably against Blackburn n the first half. I think he realises he needs to put the effort to get more starts and now has his chance. That being said, when he's on the right he'll be inclined to cut in and that'll leave gaps out wide, whether he tries and gets back or not. I think we can easily survive without it though, especially since Simmo has upped his game big time.

 

Against Blackburn his cutting in was superbly compimented by the inclusion of Raylor at right back in an attacking sense. HBA would drag players in, giving it back out to Raylor if need be to whip it in and it definatly created one move that should have been a goal (somehow Jonas didn't head it). How it would work against a more attack minded side remains to be seen but def worth the risk.

 

Okay, I appreciate that Pardew will never do it, but what about a 4 - 3 - 3 of

Ba - Shola/Best - HBA

Jonas - Tiote - Cabaye ?

 

I still think playing him as a #10 is the way forward, ideally a winger will cover his full back and can swap places if he is caught up the pitch. Jonas does this, Raylor does this and Obertan gets away with it because he is freakishly fast. Ben Arfa is left footed and not particularly strong if he was trying to dispossess an opponent. Against weaker teams I dont mind him playing RW but playing decent sides require more defensive effort than he is capable of IMO. Not to mention that twice this week Pardew's said Benny doesnt like playing wide, so he's glad he didnt complain about being moved there.

 

If we are defending then he will need to track back, but if we are attacking then we don't need him to defend. Simple really.

 

Think Ba would be decent as a wide forward, but Jonas in CM wouldnt work IMO and the current system is working fine so I dont see such a radical change happening.

 

If I were Pardew I'd tell HBA that to be part of the team, we need him to be out wide for the rest of this season. If he does and we do well, this could result in better players coming here because of European football, meaning we could then change the team to fit around him & Demba up top, and Cabaye & Tiote in the middle.

 

Then we could rule the world

 

If Newcastle bought Lionel Messi tomorrow....

How would we play?

 

When all fit:

Krul

Simmo - Tayls - Colo - Santon

Tiote - Cabaye

Benny - Messi - Jonas

Ba

 

Nah, 4-4-2 with him on the bench. He doesnt track back dont you know?