Just before the players come back out for the second half, here's @nabilbentaleb42 jumping for joy after his goal. pic.twitter.com/Aiqags7Kt1
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 17, 2014
When out of possession, Ayoze Perez had to join Emmanuel Riviere in leading the pressing, while wide midfielders Yoan Gouffran and Remy Cabella needed to track back with Spurs’ full-backs. Sissoko double-pivoted with Jack Colback to deal with Tottenham’s midfielders in central areas.
With the ball, full-backs Massadio Haidara and Paul Dummett could both push into Spurs’ half to supply width in attacks, while Sissoko had the freedom to make his trademark powerful runs forward from central midfield.
Perez operated as the central attacking midfielder, linking up play in between the lines and pushing on to support Riviere while the wide attacking midfielders, Gouffran and Cabella, needed to drift inside and flank those two forwards.
Key tactical changes
A mistake from Newcastle goalkeeper Jak Alnwick and a quick goal at the start of second-half left Newcastle with a two-goal deficit to deal with, so Pardew tried to add more movement up top with young Adam Armstrong replacing the ineffective Riviere.
Newcastle kept their 4-2-3-1 formation but they started committing more players forward and held a high defensive line. Their offensive attempts left huge spaces at the back and Spurs exploited them by scoring two more goals.
With Sissoko forced off due to injury, the Magpies lacked an end product for their endeavours as they did not have a powerful forward to hold the ball up and Vurnon Anita could not replicate Sissoko’s offensive threat from central midfield.
Spurs had a comfortable game. Bentaleb and Stambouli initially had a problem with Sissoko, who occasionally sneaked in behind those central midfielders to have a go at Spurs’s unprotected defence, but they rectified that by the start of second-half.
On the hour-mark, Pochettino introduced Mousa Dembele to add more energy in central midfield as the Belgian operated as the central attacking midfielder with Eriksen pulling out wide. That move allowed Spurs to see the game out with better ball retention.
