When this Newcastle United team gets on the pitch just watch them go | OneFootball

Once Eddie Howe gets his first choice Newcastle United team on the pitch, exciting times ahead.

I think he has been very unlucky the NUFC Head Coach, to say the least.

An absolute mess of a summer where the club acted so slowly landing his transfer targets.

Only Anthony Elanga arriving before we got to August.

An NUFC pre-season missed for the other five summer signings.

A Newcastle United pre-season and start to the season missed by Alexander Isak, which was of course a whole other story.

Anyway, Eddie Howe getting his ideal Newcastle United team out on the pitch for the opening stages of the season totally sabotaged by those outside AND inside St James’ Park.

Every sympathy for him, especially to then have so many injuries and suspensions in the early months of this 2025/26 campaign. Not just the number of players injured, but who they have been, absolutely key players in a number of instances.

Things could be clearing though on that front, injured players coming back to availability AND full fitness, Eddie Howe having to exercise patience.

However, when he can put out a fully fit and firing Newcastle United team along these lines, just watch them go…

Pope/Ramsdale

Livramento, Thiaw, Botman, Hall

Bruno, Tonali

Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon

Wissa

So looking at a 4-2-3-1 kind of formation.

Or rather maybe a 4-2-2-1-1.

Possibly look at it as a 4-4-1-1.

However you want to see it, my view is that Wissa will be at the top end with Woltemade behind him, Elanga and Gordon with the wide roles providing further attacking threat, Tino and Hall bombing on from their full-back positions, with Bruno and Tonali pulling the strings. Behind them holding the fort Thiaw and Botman, with either keeper, I don’t really mind.

I think the Wissa injury has been crippling for Eddie Howe, how unlucky when you have a readymade Premier League goalscoring striker who had only missed three Premier League matches through injury the past three seasons, then he picks up such a bad injury before he can even made his Newcastle United debut.

Wissa was especially important with Isak and Wilson leaving, then no pre-season for the new strikers.

My belief is that Yoane Wissa could and would have fitted straight into Eddie Howe’s team, fitted into any number of ways Howe wanted to play.

Nick Woltemade is a very different kind of attacking player and as we have seen, likes to come deep and get the ball, link up play.

When you take that into account and the fact he was young and relatively inexperienced, coming from another league as well, I think it has been pretty amazing what Big Nick has already given us, when thrown into the deep end and having to play every match.

Imagine him playing in that kind of Newcastle United team that I have outlined above, able to drop off deep and link play, setting attacking plays in motion, with Wissa to combine with as well.

I think Hall and Livramento are so important to our team, as they bring both quality and youth. Getting up and down the pitch and combining with the likes of Gordon and Elanga, I think it could be such exciting times ahead.

Elanga has taken time to settle and Gordon a bit in and out. However, when the rest of the team, especially the midfield, is rarely dominating matches, it is difficult for flair players.

You then have the likes of Schar, Trippier, Burn, Ramsey, Barnes, Murphy, Joelinton and so on, as valuable team/squad players as well. Not a case of needing to play that exact Newcastle United team as outlined above, every match.

I know some of the recent matches have been a tough watch but getting our best players available and fully fit, you will soon see a very different Newcastle United team.