Can set-piece coach get Newcastle's giants firing again?

Nick Woltemade quickly felt astatine location astatine Newcastle United. In much ways than one.

For nan first clip successful his career, nan 6ft 6in guardant realised he was not nan tallest subordinate successful nan dressing room aft completing his club-record move from Stuttgart past month.

Alongside Dan Burn (6ft 7in), nan German now finds himself surrounded by different imposing figures, including Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Joelinton and William Osula.

These players do not each commencement for Newcastle astatine immoderate 1 fixed time, but this towering broadside still person each nan ingredients to transportation a threat astatine set-plays.

But arsenic yet, it has not rather happened for Eddie Howe's giants successful beforehand of extremity this season.

"We person nan players, we person nan tallness and we person nan delivery," nan Newcastle caput coach said earlier facing set-piece masters Arsenal connected Sunday. "But thing is not rather clicking, and that's not a disapproval of immoderate coach. That's a disapproval of me.

"I'm yet responsible for it. We tin do amended successful that respect and we will do nan activity to effort and beryllium better."

It is instructive to statement that Howe was fielding akin questions astir a twelvemonth ago.

Newcastle had conscionable gone a whopping 50 corners without scoring successful nan Premier League - but they yet started firing again.

By nan clip Newcastle contested past season's Carabao Cup last successful March, Howe moreover sensed an opportunity arsenic he stressed to his unit that "a set-play could triumph america nan game... let's spell into nan item that could plaything it for us".

Newcastle spent nan adjacent mates of weeks moving connected free-kicks and corners aft spotting Liverpool's vulnerabilities successful deeper areas wrong nan box.

The routines were not needfully coming disconnected connected nan training ground, but 1 did erstwhile it mattered astir astatine Wembley arsenic nan Magpies went connected to extremity a 70-year hold for a awesome home trophy.

Burn's opener that time neatly illustrated nan activity of adjunct head Jason Tindall and set-play expert Kieran Taylor, who played their portion successful Newcastle scoring a respectable 13 goals from free-kicks and corners successful nan Premier League past season.

However, fixed nan immense magnitude of activity involved, Howe had been looking to bring successful an further set-play coach to thief stock nan load for immoderate time.

And Martin Mark's grounds astatine set-piece innovators Midtjylland surely stood up erstwhile he joined Newcastle successful June.

Midtjylland scored much goals from set-plays (19) than immoderate different broadside successful nan Danish apical formation past play - moreover aft excluding penalties - and maximising dead-ball situations proved important to their title triumph nan erstwhile year.

Kristian Bak, who is Midtjylland's caput of sport, said Mark's "hunger really shone through" during his clip astatine nan MCH Arena.

"Martin stood up for nan thought that we should beryllium nan champion successful nan world successful that discipline," he said of nan 32-year-old. "For him, each azygous time had to impact set-pieces and having a personification for illustration that is simply a gift.

"His hunger and his nerdy attraction to item rubbed disconnected connected respective departments, and he was very bully astatine spreading nan value of set-pieces crossed nan full organisation. He took that portion to nan adjacent level."

There has surely been a displacement successful Newcastle's attack this season.

The Magpies only launched a azygous agelong propulsion into nan container successful nan Premier League past year. However, according to Opta, Howe's broadside person already flung 13 agelong throws into nan punishment area successful nan opening 5 games of nan caller campaign.

Just arsenic Newcastle's rugby-style restarts travel a wider inclination successful nan crippled – they person taken to booting nan shot into touch from kick-off successful an effort to put nan guidance nether unit heavy successful their ain half - so, too, do nan black-and-whites' usage of agelong throws.

It is admittedly a mini sample size, but location has been an mean of 3.4 agelong throws into nan punishment area per lucifer successful nan Premier League this year. For context, successful nan full of nan 2020-21 campaign, that number was 0.9 per game.

No wonderment England head Thomas Tuchel remarked that "the agelong propulsion is back".

Liverpool recovered that retired erstwhile nan champions came to St James' Park past period connected a nighttime leader Arne Slot admitted "you cannot power a crippled of shot if each azygous shot is thrown into your 18-yard box".

Newcastle's first extremity really came from specified a situation. Tino Livramento's agelong propulsion was headed backmost to him retired connected nan near and, pinch his team-mates still forward, nan full-back was capable to prime retired nan caput of Bruno Guimaraes astatine nan acold post.

Then for Newcastle's second, goalkeeper Nick Pope stepped guardant to return a free-kick and his agelong shot guardant was flicked connected by Burn and knocked successful by substitute Osula.

Two goals from 2 dead-ball situations dragged 10-man Newcastle level arsenic nan crippled became progressively chaotic.

Though Newcastle went connected to suffer nan game, it was a timely reminder of nan powerfulness of set-plays.

Finding a measurement to origin specified mayhem connected a accordant ground is nan situation for Newcastle.

Only 4 Premier League sides person had much shots from set-pieces than Howe's squad (five) this season, but Newcastle person recovered nan backmost of nan nett connected conscionable 1 juncture from a area aliases a free-kick successful each competitions.

When it comes to expected goals from dead-ball situations, Newcastle (1.56) are presently a agelong measurement disconnected Arsenal (3.55), who apical nan array successful this section successful nan top-flight.

Newcastle person yet to concede from a set-piece, but Howe was nan first to recognise that his broadside person "work to do" astatine nan different end.

So will it return time?

"I dream not," he said. "That's not nan plan. The scheme is to make nan quality from set-plays. I deliberation we person been really bully successful that respect for a agelong time.

"When you look astatine games for illustration nan Bournemouth crippled [a goalless draw], if you play arsenic we did, take sides arsenic we did and nick nan crippled 1-0 connected a set-play, it's nan cleanable distant capacity - but we didn't."

Sunday's opponents Arsenal person surely exploited specified situations.

Half of Arsenal's goals successful nan Premier League this play person travel from set-pieces, including what proved to beryllium a victor astatine Manchester United and openers against Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

Arsenal stay nan squad to hit successful that respect.

But freelance throw-in master Thomas Gronnemark, who worked pinch Mark astatine Midtjylland past season, has nary uncertainty that Newcastle will yet click from set-plays.

"Martin is simply a really talented guy," he said. "Yes, he's very young but I don't attraction if personification is 15 years aged aliases 80 years old.

"If they are bully capable for nan occupation and you tin spot nan perspective, you should prosecute group and Martin is simply a awesome feline to activity with. I deliberation he will beryllium a large positive for Newcastle."