Newcastle United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur - Jordan Cronin reacts
Set piece goals are becoming key for Newcastle United and their Premier League rivals.
This season, the Premier League has seen a significant increase in the number of set-piece goals, with 67 of the 241 goals scored (excluding penalties) so far coming via a set play.
Corners and free-kicks have often been a weapon for teams but in true Tony Pulis and Stoke City style, the long-throw is again being utilised.
Eddie Howe on the re-emergence of long throws
Newcastle appointed Martin Mark as their new set-piece coach in the summer, and long throws were one of the first areas he decided to focus on.
“Martin's come in and he's done a really good job,” said Howe. “I think he immediately said he wanted to work on a long throw, so that was the inspiration behind it.
“Of course, as you say, it's been a trend this season in the Premier League. Long throws don't work unless you have a long throw, so it's good to see that we've got a couple of options.
“We've got a group of players that have got a long throw, but not as long as maybe Dan [Burn] and Tino [Livramento]. But we're working on them to try and get them longer. So we have a few more options.”
Eddie Howe: ‘Height is key’
Newcastle are hoping to take advantage of set plays and are blessed by height in their team, with Dan Burn and Nick Woltemade ranking among the tallest players in the league.
When looking to sign players, Howe admits that height is discussed between him and the recruitment team.
Howe said: “I think it's always been vital for me that you have, as I said, the height in the right areas of the team. Because if you don't, I think it does give you problems.
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“You can have a very, very good player for the position, but if you're looking around and going, ‘well, if these group of players are going to play with each other, we're not going to be big enough’, that can give you a long-term problem.
“So it's always a talking point within the coaching staff when we're looking at players and what positions and what profiles, how big they are.”
Howe added: “Height is key. You can't have a team that's too small; that's something we talk a lot about with recruitment because the balance of that is crucial, where you get your height and how you get your height in different positions, because games are won and lost by it.
“You saw our first goal against Tottenham with Fabi's great header. It was a decisive moment in the game, So, yes, we continue to try and make sure we're on the right side of the set-piece game and we're innovative and keep pushing the boundaries.”
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