All pre-season, I've been questioning on videos why we aren't changing from five at the back? It's all good giving players fitness, which above anything else is the most important thing - but it's also an opportunity to experiment with systems & I feel Bruce missed an opportunity.
Some people say formations don't win games, it's players that do - I agree to some extent, but remember I've questioned before the Premier League kicks off, what happens when we are losing by one or two? Newcastle don't have a Bernando Silva on the bench or a Mason Greenwood, we have Joelinton & Dwight Gayle - players win games they say?
Here comes the first game of the season with a full packed crowd for the first time for 18 months because of a global pandemic, we find ourselves 3-2 down then 4-2 down. Okay Bruce, I've been questioning you all summer & we're now losing, what are you going to do? As you can see in my match reaction after the game I was furious.
Bruce brought on like for like changes & even dropped Isaac Hayden in to defence & substituted our main goal threat in Callum Wilson but continued to play five at the back whilst losing by two goals, at home at a packed St. James' Park. I'm not in the game professionally but I know losing, attackers need brought on to get us back in the match, Dwight Gayle didn't even got off the bench but Sean Longstaff did - see where I'm coming from?
We don't have enough good players to win games so it falls on to change of tactical input during the game, what can the management team do to impact the game? I have been proved right all summer, now I won't to be proved wrong going forward whenever we are losing.
