Best XIs from the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, plus analysis of Newcastle Uniteds strong formPremier League team of the weekendLa Liga team of the weekendSerie A team of the weekendBundesliga team of the weekendLigue 1 team of the weekendTactical talking point: Newcastle Uniteds strong formWhen Newcastle United followed up a fifth-place finish in 2011-12 by avoiding relegation by a mere five points in May 2013, questions that had met Mike Ashleys decision to reward Alan Pardew with an eight-year contract 13 months ago became all the more pertinent. The length of the contract meant that any talk of his being sacked was quickly forgotten given how hefty Pardews payout would have been. Just over a year later, Pardew has the full backing of the board and supporters, with his team flying high in sixth, only a point off Liverpool in fourth spot and dreaming of another venture into European competition.Pardews side are currently enjoying a four-match winning streak for only the second time in the Premier League since April 2006, the other time being during that aforementioned campaign when they finished just outside the Champions League places. Only table-topping Arsenal (five matches) have embarked on as good a run of successive wins this season, while only champions Manchester United managed any better last season (seven matches). Newcastle are certainly not going to win the title, but at the moment this is title-winning form from Pardews men.So what is going so right for them this season that they have gone from fifth from bottom at the end of last season to sixth from top 13 games into this one? In terms of personnel, not all that much at all. In fact, over the summer only Loïc Rémy – on only a season-long loan – arrived at St James Park. His impact should not be underestimated, of course, given that only three players have scored more Premier League goals than him this season and he missed the first two games through injury. He has proven the perfect signing for Newcastle, who had struggled to replace the goals of Demba Ba after his move to Chelsea in January. Papiss Demba Cissé has performed inadequately in front of goal, failing to score in over 18 hours of league action since April.However, where the Senegalese has failed, Newcastles French contingent have come good. While Rémy is leading the goalscoring charts at the club, Gouffran (four), Cabaye (two) and Ben Arfa (two) are their only other players to have made it past a solitary goal. Astoundingly, French players have accounted for 18 of Newcastles 19 Premier League goals this season. Of all 98 teams in Europes top five leagues (it is worth noting here that that includes Frances top flight, Ligue 1), only Lyon (20) have had more goals scored by French players than Newcastle (18).The clubs scouting network is often praised for utilising the market across the channel, but more surprising than their use of it is everyone elses decision to leave it largely untapped.Among those signings from France, Yohan Cabaye, who had just won the Ligue 1 title with Lille, remains the best and he has again shown this season just how important he is to the St James Park club. They have won six of the nine games he has started this season and he came off the bench to inspire victory in another (against Fulham).We already knew just how good Cabaye was, and his form alone has not flung the team up the table. Instead, as they become increasingly used to each other, they gelled and become a more cohesive unit. Key to that has been the form of Mathieu Debuchy.The former Lille man is the best-performing right-back in the Premier League this season according to our statistical rating system, with a rating of 7.5 in his 12 games, up from 6.83 over his 14 appearances last season. It had seemed that Debuchy would become little more than a like-for-like replacement for Danny Simpson at Newcastle after a few months at the club, but now he looks like a vast improvement. While averaging 2.8 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game this season, he has also flourished going forward, attempting three crosses per game and having scored once and set up another goal already.Frenchmen have provided the fulcrum of the side, but there has been a Geordie involved, too. Shola Ameobi, now a Nigeria international, retains cult hero status in Newcastle, but has been rather more this season than that might suggest. Partnering up in attack, he has become the perfect foil for Rémy. Tim Krul has played 77.7% of his passes long this season, and without Ameobi there is little presence upfield and possession is often wasted. The striker has won 4.7 aerial duels per game – a tally only six players can top in the Premier League – and Rémy has been the player to profit. He might not have managed a single goal or assist, but his importance to the team as a whole goes largely, and rather unfairly, unappreciated. They have, after all, won five and drawn the other of the six games he has started so far.This Newcastle team are not as good as the side that was challenging for the title a decade ago, but their current form and position show that Mike Ashley was correct to trust Pardew.• This article appeared first on WhoScored
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 12:09:51 +0000
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