Four wins in a row
and current Newcastle’s manager Alan Pardew move from ‘Has Alan Pardew been
sacked yet?’ hashtags to become manager of the month material. So, it’s time to
give him credit for this turnaround. Despite the losses of Demba Ba, Mathieu
Debuchy and Yohan Cabaye and the turbulent departure of Hatem Ben Arfa, team’s
best players, Pardew has been able enough to model his team sorting out from a
difficult start of the season. He made it switching his 4-2-3-1 formation,
which worked just when Cabaye was still around, and replaced it with a more
balanced 4-3-3. The Moussa Sissoko’s deployment in a much deeper spot also helped
as the France midfielder strengthen the team in the middle of the field.
Against Livepool, in the latest, winning, effort, the 53-year-old manager also
get answers from Rolando Aarons, Rémy Cabella and Ayoze Pérez, three substitutes
that proved to be able to help the cause. Wins at Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool
have changed the mood around the manager. Team’s learning curve was long but right now Pardew
seems to have shifted the momentum creating a new atmosphere around Newcastle. Pardew’s
firing looked a case of “when, not if” just a month ago…four consecutive wins
later, team went out from the relegation struggle and the manager can smile and
stay more relaxed.
