Why Newcastle's defence is so good

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Newcastle United have the best defence in the Premier League. At the halfway point of the 2022/23 season they have only conceded 11 goals. But how have they done it?
JJ Bull looks at how a settled team, a hybrid pressing system and game management have kept the goals out of the Newcastle net.
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#newcastle #premierleague

[@KT-ki6gz]

Somewhere there's a satisfied Alex Stewart who quietly cheers on Sven Botman, the sensible transfer

[@tamunotamuno3564]

do you know why he left?

[@jdjphotographynl]

@@tamunotamuno3564 He became Head of Content at Analytics FC.

[@eriosvanda479]

miss him here

[@jdjphotographynl]

@@eriosvanda479 Yeah, me too. Although I am glad Tifo has hired a similar type to Alex in Jon. JJ Bull and Joe are quite... present, shall we say... then a somewhat calmer personality makes for a nice balance.

[@haimainjauo242]

Satisfied Alex? No such thing.

[@DenDave_]

Botman is so underrated in my opinion. He did for Newcastle what van Dijk did for Liverpool, and yet Botman is hardly ever mentioned in the best defenders of the league discussions. He should be right up there with Saliba in the debates, maybe even above him.

[@alexchetverik3982]

Agree that he's an excellent defender. His story isn't as sexy as Arsenal's success (duly deserved, mind) and bringing Saliba 'in from the cold'. I imagine he'll get his credit when the Barcodes finish in the top 4.

[@FlashMeterRed]

Arsenal fan - I think saliba is great and exactly what arsenal needed, but not the best defender in the league. And I don't think that's the discussion around him. He may be in years to come as he grows up.

[@nizarnor5763]

He'll get the recognition if he does this next season. He will be considered class and not just in form

[@tukiran3953]

Botman go to united!!

[@MattF11112]

He's already at United

[@fadedjem]

For the Wednesday game Howe played Botman and Lascelles at CB - perhaps buying in slightly to the idea that we never lose when Botman plays? Immediately we weren't nearly as good, Schar has been at the heart of everything good we've done under Howe and it's an amazing turnaround for somebody Bruce wouldn't even play. One of the best value signings in the club's history, pivotal to both Rafa and Howe's teams. Getting on a bit and will need replacing sooner rather than later, but my god, what a player.

[@NsABullitzZ]

absolutely love the man, his head is a magnet to the ball

[@SaturnusDK]

We haven't lost a single game this season with Schär on the pitch. Botman got his unbeaten record blemished in the FA cup by having to play with Lewis and Lascelles on either side of him.

[@barrycarter7274]

Yeah that Wednesday game really highlighted the lack of depth in our defence and pretty much explains why we were 19th before we brought in a new back line

[@k1llsk]

The Swiss David Luiz but b4 he went to Arsenal

[@SaturnusDK]

@@barrycarter7274 A big reason we were 19th is also in that the previous head coach was completely clueless about his players abilities and strengths.

[@gordonkelly]

Pope's sweeping stops so many dangerous situations. He's still astonishingly underrated.

[@k1llsk]

How old is Nick? Wouldn't mind him at United

[@gordonkelly]

@@k1llsk he's already at United.

[@k1llsk]

@@gordonkelly u know which one I'm talkin bout 😏

[@SaturnusDK]

@@k1llsk Sheffield? You can't afford him.

[@gordonkelly]

@@k1llsk yep, the real one. As I said, he already plays for is.

[@javiercordova2108]

Its crazy to realize that Eddie Howe transformed both Schar and Botman to one of the greatest defensive center-back duos in the league, both for less than 40 mil, which in today's market is insane. I also remember when Newcastle bought Dan Burn from Brighton. I honestly thought that was the worst signing because Burn was not even playing well, but Howe managed to do it, or it could be that passion of playing for your boyhood club. Man, Dan Burn for sure will go down as a "streets won't forget" player in Newcastle. Tripper though. Atletico took a huge L giving this mans away. Tripper has transformed this team to a powerhouse. Howe had to give Tripper a happy ending because how can a La Liga winner end up going to regulating battle Newcastle??? Man, Tripper must have been calling Howe daddy from their Bournemouth days because that was the biggest steal I have seen in my life. You know Howe is an amazing manager when his old players come back to play for him again. Nick Pope has always been my favorite goalie ever since I saw him play for Charlton. Had him in my fantasy league as my backup goalie when he played for Burnley. I do think Pope has regressed as a goalie from his Burnley days, but I do love to see him playing in the top level, and hopefully can finally take Pickford from England's #1 spot as I have always thought he was a better keeper that baby hands.

[@DiscoverJesus]

Pope has regressed? He's not conceded a goal in 15 hours

[@RobertTapia]

And Eddie has made almiron into an absolute monster!

[@Cyanra98]

@@DiscoverJesus maybe he was better before ? Didnt really follow him pre newcastle

[@KiePatty91]

Wait, Pope has regressed...?

[@oConshien]

@@Cyanra98 me neither. gonna go watch some highlights -- but it's hard to understand the word regressed when In terms of raw goalkeeping, he's saved 51 of the 62 shots faced - meaning Nick Pope's save percentage is 82.26%. 12 Clean Sheets in 20 Games, which is well on it's way to beat his own 39% (15 clean out of 38) from the 2019/2020 Season

[@sama2086]

Now JJ has outed us, I expect that our next clean sheet will be in about 6 weeks 😅

[@MattJay.]

Southampton better not watch this

[@msstry1]

It's 1 thing to learn how to exploit a team, but a whole other thing to execute it enough to win or score a goal

[@malcolmmacdonald9238]

The one thing that never gets mentioned is how incredibly comfortable all 4 defenders are with the ball. The can pass through any press.

[@tjonas1986]

This is much better, Tifo! Howe loves his triangles. I mentioned in the Sensible Transfers video comments how Almiron, Trippier and Bruno combine ALL THE TIME down the right in a kind of rotating, curly triad (though Longstaff is now there too, which adds another confusing cog to defend against). They do this defensively too, as JJ points out, and the perfect example was Burn's League Cup goal against Leicester. The danger with Newcastle's approach is that the opposition could just bypass the press (Hasenhuttl's Saints tried this, though not successfully against us; Moore's Wednesday worked it out, though!) but Pope's sweeping has been a revelation. I was muttering to myself about how good he's been off his line this season when the stat came up. It's obvious Newcastle start to fall apart when the back five aren't together. Krafth really stepped up when Bunions was injured last season, but neither Lewis, Lascelles, nor Manquillo have really proven they have what's needed when called upon, so the potential (at the time of writing) signing of Ashby to learn from Tripps is vital. The most noticeable thing from a Newcastle fan perspective is just how much fitter the squad is. Yes, it means we'll be run ragged until the club can get more players in, but right now Newcastle are relentless. Well, relentless until the shithousery comes in and players go down with mystery injuries (or Jason Tindall complains the opposition have twelve players on the pitch hahahaha), but that's something all great teams do to some level. The players look, for once, like athletes, which is a far cry from the days of Steve-Take-A-Week-Off-Bruce, and opposition coaches are regularly talking up the size of the squad. And finally, have you seen Joelinton? The man's built like a minotaur!

[@TheSarinaide]

I will add that Gordon is almost the perfect fit, in defence he will act as a temporary wing back while Joelinton and Burn create a block. Gordon's quickness creates a genuine counter transition and what has been our weaker side now has more shape and solidity to match the right side with Almiron, Trippier and Longstaff. the Gordon signing is more method than madness

[@NUFCOfficial]

But villafan62 said he is overpriced and isn't any good

[@KindredBrujah]

Agreed. You always want that tenacious, contentious, scrappy player on your team and not on the other team. He's got real talent too, so he could be excellent.

[@nlig]

@@KindredBrujah but he’s a soppy whiner and a diver

[@msstry1]

@user-vm8sy6yq2k well just have to wait and see if that's because he played for Everton or he's actually half decent

[@oronsayepaul6709]

Not only Premier league but entire Europe.kudus to eddi for doing a great transformation on joeliton and also the exceptional amiron always amazing to watch then the prolific shot stopper Pope nick

[@matthewmcneany]

Barca are slightly better, on 6 goals in 18 compared with Newcastle's 11 in 20. But second best in Europe's not bad.

[@ishaandw]

There is a reason he keeps on saying best ... in the league.

[@ishaandw]

@Propagandalf Barca have still conceded less so they aren't the best of the top 5 leagues

[@matthewmcneany]

@Propagandalf Yeah, that's probably a fair assessment.

[@anonymoususer602]

@Propagandalf i bet you haven't watched much la liga

[@shambhav9534]

They literally have more clean sheets than goals conceded.

[@Anthony-mt7qr]

I'd also like to point out that 4 of those goals were very early in the season when that back line hadn't yet settled. I mean look at the opener for Man City, and the equaliser in that game ( they got lucky) that partnership at the back isn't there. It doesn't seem to be as reliable in that game as it would go on to be.

[@brysonluke8]

And several of the goals have been meaningless. Pens when up by a few goals, late consolation goals etc. Really has been since the Liverpool game that we conceded a meaningful goal last, and you could argue the whistle could have already gone...

[@imlost2899]

I never realized they had xg stats on liverpool in 1920 wow shows how in depth tifo go crazy! But they got the wrong season it was 1921 when they won the title still mad respect to find records that old

[@nicolinzini520]

🤣

[@xero1895]

as a non-native speaker I really thought at first that he means the year 1920 :D

[@mick-ericboettge8683]

The thing about xG is that it's a convenient metric for bookmakers but has to be taken with a massive grain of salt in football analysis. It very rarely aligns with reality coz it doesn't account for nuance and random chance

[@phiaklangtangjang5250]

Schar was actually furious when we conceded against Southampton in the dying minutes

[@CharlesOffdensen]

Schaer is very experienced and Botman is still young. So nice balance there. As for the goalkeeper. It helps when the defenders allow only bad shots to come through. This is why Oblak's stats are so impressive too. But Pope is very good, I don't want to take anything from him.

[@dddgtsd]

Not taking anything away from Pope but in the 10 games he's kept clean sheets I swear he's only faced like 25 shots or something crazy. If your defence limit shots on target to 2.5 a game, that is always gonna make the keepers job a lot easier. That being said, when called upon he is super focused and makes important saves. Also sweeps up brilliantly.

[@patm6018]

You dont only concede 11 in 20 games by relying on defense. Pope has been one of the best for years. Same for wirld class Dunk and Burn, but nobody knows them, instead unproven mediocrity boys like Botman and De Ligt are considered the best while being 3 levels below Burn and Dunk.

[@jonathonmaudlin2307]

Correction: I believe this back line have conceded 6 goals, not 5. You missed Harry Kane’s goal in the 2-1 win over Tottenham

[@MaximumResultsCopy]

Great analysis...as we've come to expect from the Tifo team. Would love to see a comparison of Newcastle and Atletico Madrid. One of the fascinating parts of the "Eddie Howe Story" to me is him going to study Atletico to fix what was seen as his weakness at the defensive side of the game. Your comments about Newcastle's "game management" suggest that he may also have turned a little more to the "Dark Side" of the game.

[@TheSarinaide]

we are 7 under our xGA but also 6 goals off our xGF so all in all we are where we are supposed to be

[@justinasusilowati4983]

Best analysis from this channel & jj bull from about 20 videos I seen..

[@callamityfm3629]

Still bewildered that people think Botman is slow

[@KindredBrujah]

Big = slow. Brain disengaged. That's why. People are idiots.

[@dddgtsd]

I mean he's not quick over long distances, he's not slow as such for a tall strong CB but compared to a lot of forwards he is pretty slow. Makes up for it in being strong, quick over short distances, reads the game very very well. Few times when he has been out of position his pace has shown to be lacking but I'm not concerned, he's still much quicker than Lascelles for example and lots of world class CBs had got by with little pace.

[@callamityfm3629]

@@dddgtsd what are you classing as a long distance? The furthest your average cb is gonna sprint is 20 metres and even that is a stretch. In this video they said Schar is faster than him, but he'd be ahead of Schar over a 100m sprint by a long ways, he has also stated himself that he is quick when he was talking about how he was surprised by Mbappes speed.

[@brysonluke8]

He is slow in terms of sprint speed, but he reads the game so well he has a massive defensive range. Sprint speed does not equate to game speed. I don't believe I've seen him mistime a single tackle all year either, truly has been a bargain buy.

[@dddgtsd]

@@brysonluke8 quick in the mind, I agree. For a guy his height and build he's relatively quick I'd say but the players he'll be coming up against will be agile speedy forwards so he may look if he gets his positioning wrong - lucky for us, this is very rare.

[@MrDexlessSin]

Perfect timing for a KZbin update and page refresh

[@akamiguelsanchez9985]

I kind of miss the absolute terror you used to get watching us defend. It is a very weird feeling to unequivocally trust our back line

[@barrycarter7274]

I really don't 😅 whenever lascelles is on the pitch I'm just waiting for something bad to happen. He reminds me of Titus bramble back in the day although he's not quite as bad as bramble

[@Mag_1892]

Waiting to see if bramble will hoof clear or fall over his own feet

[@RaynaDJ]

I still feel it deep down. Also fully expecting us to bottle it tomorrow in good old newcastle style even though we won't. That seasoned NUFC pessimism is going to take a good few years to go away I think lol

[@akamiguelsanchez9985]

@@Mag_1892 and Boumsong having a meltdown

[@Unclebuzzcocksne]

Excellent breakdown

[@brysonluke8]

Almiron has been immense backtracking as well. He often forces the opposition wingers down the line and inside, where Trippier has backed off to and slid in from the sideline. This partnership has been as deadly going forward as it has been defensively.

[@TheAlphaDingo]

You can really see the game management Howe has implemented following his visit to Atletico. Learned from Simeone and it shows with his under resourced team punching far above it's weight by some margin

[@ir0nMonKie]

Honestly don’t think it’s Howe. He himself said it’s overblown and he was only there a couple days for an hour each day. I think the dark arts is actually coming from Trippier who learned it from Simeone, and the squad already had some shithouses who were receptive.

[@msstry1]

@ir0nMonKie fortunately they don't play a back 11 😅 and are fun to watch unlike Simeone style...

[@TheAlphaDingo]

@@ir0nMonKie I mean yeah, it's not all on Howe but he definitely would be harnessing it and using it to his advantage and tactical instructions . Howe is a smart operator and always big on learning and growth. Trippier and a few other senior figures who are scrappers like Lascelles, Shelvey and Ritchie no doubt also helped build this mean streak. Add in the hot at times heads of Joelinton, Schar, Burn and you really get a bit of fighting spirit. The game management is chalk and cheese compared to Bruce ball. Even little things like in the Fulham game when Bruno injured his ankle, Pope taking time to give Bruno a chance to get assessed show the coaching staff and players are more tactically aware on how to react to certain phases of play or situations

[@dw9652]

Any chance you could do a video on how Gordon is a good (or not good) fit for Newcastle in your opinion

[@DanielS10291]

He will win the ballon dor

[@MrNaicos]

This can’t be right ? I’ve seen all the football genius’ on twitter saying Newcastle play anti football , park the bus style Burnley ball sitting in a low block ? You can’t be telling me they’re all wrong about how Newcastle play !? 😮

[@DJVm4GOD1]

Seeing this, and how it's properly explained. How on earth are we linked with Harry Maguire lmao. Not saying he's a complete waste, but more he'd be more a starter type of player. Which we're more than good for. I get competition for places, but it would be better if we got a young promising CB, ready to make the step up.

[@joedimirputden5334]

Ndicka

[@jayaychare7318]

the best toon shirt apart from targett the 2nd string defence isn't up to much . its so noticeable when lascelles and manquillo on the pitch

[@phatbi971]

Bruh it going to be very tough when we play them in the league cup final 😂, but I trust Ten hag he always has a plan.

[@sutejasastra]

How to make that mentality to charging straight to danger to prevent danger, that's the manager magic

[@0megaG]

The Bullard on Newcastle, the best Tifo IRL ever

[@jimmyxx9522]

I love this channel

[@bigbloke2000]

Got Willock and Longstaff on the correct sides of midfield, well done. Willock and Joelinton rotate positions regularly during a match

[@igrnge2883]

Where's sensible transfers? honestly my favourite part of this channel, absolutely loved it for starting new FM saves, where have they gone?

[@dddgtsd]

they've done for NUFC this January mate.

[@igrnge2883]

@@dddgtsd yeah, but not on main channel and only Man U and Newcastle, I like the more tactical approach they take to it on IRL but deffo prefered the shorter versions on the main channel w/ more teams

[@dddgtsd]

@@igrnge2883 fair play, Tifo is still one of if not THE best football accounts on KZbin.

[@majdalmohanna3038]

JJ the incredible

[@LJamesWorkshop]

Lets not ignore that teams try to waste time against us, Ball was in less play for Us v Leeds than Arsenal

[@dddgtsd]

exactly, keyboard warriors who only watched the Arsenal game saying we play anti-football. More often than not we have more possession and shots than our opponents so why the hell would we be time wasting in them games?

[@Sup-zv3tz]

When is the tifo football show coming back ? Pls i need it

[@sluckpuppet593]

I love you JJ

[@emanuelsuselo1285]

Newcastle is living the dream🎉🎉🎉

[@MrCRicki]

When there in Europe next season we will see if they can maintain that press defending with midweek football thrown into the mix

[@gonufc]

As much as I have criticised him in the past and recently for on the ball issues- Longstaff deserves credit in this too, he works extremely hard. Schar is the one who needs more credit though, in terms of percentiles he seems to be the top CB in the league! Also, this "SOme teams happen to be lucky" is not true for us- we could be 12-15 points better had obvious VAR decisions gone differently.

[@boreslayer]

This was How(e). That's genius, the last line.

[@PatrickMurphy-sg5fn]

Feel better JJ.

[@jamestitley3796]

Best defence Newcastle have had since Hadrian's Wall was built 💪

[@ritchierich2793]

Reminds me more carvalho/robert huth mourinho Chelsea V.1 era this Newcastle is build.. attacking wingers that cuts everytime yet a diehard defence.. Hence why i say Newcastle will be hardest game anyone will go to face..

[@jasperrowell4470]

Newcastle have the best goal keeper, centre back and right back in the league rn

[@MrAloo17]

Can u pls do a video on Stefan bajetic

[@ZhangMaza]

Their Back 5 is really good right now!

[@deejlynzle1287]

JJ talking like spud from trainspotting when 'a wee bit of speed is just the ticket' before his interview

[@nellypringle2875]

“Triumphing by brave defence” is on the badge, after all.

[@RobertTapia]

The Eddie Howe way the lads!!!

[@budweizer100]

Best defense in Europe I believe, not just the Prem

[@william_SMMA]

Barcelona

[@kjn3350]

@@william_SMMA Fewer goals conceded but fewer clean sheets. Barca's defence hasn't been great in the cup.

[@afallenworld1581]

@@kjn3350 Barcelona defence is still best in Europe, despite that.

[@DJVm4GOD1]

My only worry will be next season. Then again, we'll more likely add if we've got Europe of any kind. Where that be somehow CL, to doable Europa, and Europa Conference. More pressure, more games, it'll be a lot to handle.

[@ruan13o]

Likewise. The first XI is very good. The next XI is quite some way off and we can't expect the same players to play twice a week most weeks. I'm sure we'll add but will we add enough quality and quantity? Seems unlikely given how expensive any half decent player costs these days.

[@amronpimpinan]

Spurs today..

[@rohanhowell9552]

I support Manchester city but cudos to you guys because this guy sven bothman was at lille and we were scouting him a lot but they didn't buy him for some reason or the other

[@anonymo6143]

10:56 sorry JJ but this is factually incorrect, it was the mighty Burnley FC who actually won the league in 1920. Also, it's a bit of a random point to make considering we were discussing contemporary football is it not? Just a bit of friendly feedback.

[@tobyjimmy7194]

The tactics board still needs a "group" option

[@bertwhite5912]

yeah that's all lovely and good, but how would you recreate this on Football Manager ??

[@Corvus67]

When I see something that praises Newcastle, I watch...

[@bhvithai5327]

Would love to see a picture of the pub wall after the brick house that is JJ smashed into it.

[@DiscoverJesus]

Botman could be in a FIFA all time world 11 but can't get into the Netherlands squad. Underated !

[@Nippleless_Cage]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves lmao

[@vaffangool9196]

*My circadian rhythm* woke me up at 3:00 am it knows when the lads upload a new one.

[@devil-sad]

Tifo: *makes interesting, insightful analysis video* Me: "wow I didn't know they had xG all the way back in the year 1920"

[@geordiedog1749]

We are class.

[@mgbythesea641]

Sad you didn't mention the excellent coaching which has turned us around. Whilst the players deserve great credit for delivering on the pitch, the tactics are set on the training field and Eddie Howe and his team have been excellent in this regard.

[@winterbird4447]

It is also because they have monsters in midfield. Guimares and Joelinton.

[@collinsenosh]

Isnt burn too slow to be a fullback?

[@inst4rmin.x4_onYT]

Thanks for clarifying it's duels, not jewels 🤣👏🏻

[@PatrickVS101]

Goblin King had enough and gave JJ a patented goblin-jab to the snout.

[@davemurphy9468]

I thought it may have had something to do with Aberdeen's performance on the weekend.

[@stephenpeacock3850]

Botman didn’t start v Man City. He was a late substitute (they never conceded).

[@00millern]

Botman is about twice as fast as Schar btw, he can step up because Botman can cover with his pace

[@peakinearly_2788]

The first rule of fight club is...

[@vihankrishna9644]

It would be even better if they signed ibrahim sangare

[@TheThreatenedSwan]

I've only seen like 4 games of theirs, but in each one they played absolutely miserably. Constant simulation and doing things like going the opposite direction of the ball to get contact, slowing down unnaturally as a defender to create contact (the Ayling dive), delay of game, surrounding and touching the ref, etc. And why do refs fall for this stuff anymore and why so much with one team That's why it was so satisfying to see it come back to bite them vs Liverpool

[@dddgtsd]

Time wasting I'll give you and we love a good scrap but I've watched pretty much every game and I am fairly confident we don't dive (bar Almiron) any more than other teams and we've not been punished for surrounding the ref unlike other teams this season. Trippier is always telling his teammates to leave the ref for him to speak to like a good captain should.

[@LT-sz1fj]

Their strategy is to hold the game up as long as possible and try to allow the opposite team as little time in open play as possible, They done the same to Liverpool and bottled it

[@tristan7131]

Schär translates to Schaer (pronounced share) 😊

[@tomatokosir]

Where did he come from, Nose City?

[@gordonkelly]

Who headbutted JJ? Tindall for giving our tactics away?

[@3DAA2]

Burn jumps onto Botman's shoulders to create the tallest CB pairing in the league.

[@RDeverall]

Liverpool scored 2 against Liverpool this season?

[@ankaramesi3824]

Gordon is not a brilliant player but a brilliant signing because of the things mentioned in this video

[@LT-sz1fj]

The reason they don’t concede much is because teams never get open play opportunities because Eddie’s defence plan is too fall at any slight touch and keep stop starting the game

[@Willhiggsiscool]

Can I buy your Alan shearer shirt

[@musaddiqmunirliman8267]

Why doesn't Barça concede too, next please

[@matiasrisso5917]

I really don't understand why England did not play Pope in the WC

[@dddgtsd]

not the best with his feet sadly, has improved since signing but I get why England opt for Pickford with his kicking and passing. Pope is the better shot stopper by a mile though.

[@FlashMeterRed]

Is it because they have 11 big, pretty good guys playing it?

[@Joonzi]

Hello Mourinho’s Chelsea

[@PatrickOWoods]

JJ Bull looks like he has been going to the danger lately

[@whatdadogdoin7531]

Damn how the hell are they at 3rd??

[@ICULooking]

"Wall" sure sure. What actually happened: JJ slagged the 3 Lions at the pub

[@hectorae86]

Liverpool didn't win the league in 1920, West Brom did *smugness off*

[@TheAlphaDingo]

It's borderline offensive when 'expert pundits' choose plodders like Saliba and Martinez in their teams of the season (so far). Literally the best defensive unit in the country by a mile with the best keeper and a complete lack or respect or acknowledgment because they don't play for a plastic big 6 club 🙄

[@ethanderrick8486]

But at the same time I get it. Saliba and Martinez are right up there with Botnan for best defenders in the league rn, and they are more noticeable. Newcastle's amazing defence is down to every single person in that starting 11 working together near perfectly whenever they have to defend, and no single player stands out - until they're not there. While Arsenal and Utd have the same thing, but not so polished. So the individual defenders have to do something on their own to stop attacks building, which draws attention to them. Plus those two players get on the ball a lot, so they also draw the eye for the progression they add - Martinez' ability to switch a ball or put it over the top perfectly is amazing to watch. It means that even their partners get overlooked - Varane and Gabriel have been excellent as well but are never in the conversation. Plus, I find CBs really hard to rank regardless. A defence is a unit, not individuals, so if I'm picking a best 11, I pick a partnership (so Schar and Botman) but pundits go individuals, so the eye-catching players get picked. There are 3 outstanding CB partnerships in the league rn, and Newcastle's deserves more plaudits

[@dddgtsd]

mate, Saliba and Martinez are great - Schar and Botman deserve their praise too but come on, lets not be bitter.

[@TheAlphaDingo]

@@dddgtsd no bitterness here. The proof is in the performances and happy to see many people waking up to Botman, Schar and co's performances. Saliba and Martinez get the plaudits for playing for big plastic clubs and media bias but real ones can see they aren't on the same level and the stats prove that this season

[@dddgtsd]

@@TheAlphaDingo stats don't show everything though, look I'm a Toon fan and absolute love Schar and Botman but the eye test shows you that Saliba is a class act. Might have conceded a few more but as a footballing defender he is a lot better than our two. Martinez is a great little fighter as well. I think there's an argument for Botman/Schar to be the two CBs in the team of the year for sure but if Arsenal win the league, Saliba could feel hard done by not to be in there.

[@TheAlphaDingo]

@@dddgtsd for sure but at the end of the day, cold hard facts don't lie and selections will almost certainly be made based on performances and stats. Too many pundits will get swept up in the big club bias and the 'impact' they had on their team's performances but Im 99% sure Schar and Botman (and Burn for that mattet) will be overlooked at season's end for lesser performers at the bigger clubs. Burn is a perfect example, consistently high performances but overlooked based on his reputation as a lower league player who came to the PL via unfancied Brighton. At least Trippier is getting the kudos he deserves and Pope is starting to get that as well.

[@DanielGiuseppeDiNiro]

Here after AC Milan took 14 goals in two weeks, the same team who decided Botman wasn't worth the price.

[@KindredBrujah]

We, to be fair, had to fight pretty hard to get him. But yes, I'm sure if they'd wanted to they could have - AC's rep is greater than ours.

[@riztanpak2253]

Best centre back epl 2023 : Botman

[@ash4733]

Still can't believe that Newcastle became a club where players would like to join and play for Newcastle.

[@Jason.14]

So what you're saying is Eddie Howe is a genius 🤔 not bad for the guy who got Bournemouth relegated 😘

[@LT-sz1fj]

It’s weird because you usually associate good defensive teams with good physicality yet these boys drop like flies at the slightest touch and hold up play as long as they can to ruin a teams momentum

[@RichMitch]

MORE NEWCASTLE

[@wizkid86]

Annnnnnd you jinxed them