Tottenham Hotspur Vs Newcastle United [0-2] Premier League 2026/2027: How Matthias Jaissle Tactics Silenced Spurs – Tactical Analysis

In the second game of the Premier League season, Newcastle United travelled to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium looking for their first win after drawing 1-1 with Liverpool in their opening match.

Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, were also looking for their first points after starting the season with a defeat to Brentford.

On paper, the statistics seemed to favour Spurs.

Tottenham had more ball possession, a higher xG, more shots and corners.

However, Newcastle were much more effective in the chances they created.

The Magpies secured a 2-0 victory, with Anthony Elanga opening the scoring with an amazing goal and Yoane Wissa adding a second from a corner.

In this Tottenham vs Newcastle tactical analysis, we will look at how Matthias Jaissle set up his team to deal with Tottenham’s approach and how his tactical decisions helped Newcastle secure their first Premier League win.

Tottenham Hotspur Vs Newcastle United Lineups & Formations

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup Vs Newcastle United

Tottenham started in a 4-4-2 formation, with Antonín Kinský in goal behind a back four featuring the Dutch centre-back duo of Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven, with the experienced Andrew Robertson at left-back and Archie Gray at right-back.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Sandro Tonali played in midfield with Mathys Tel as a left winger and Pedro Porro as a right winger.

In the attack, Mateus Fernandes started alongside Omar Marmoush, who made his debut after joining from Manchester City.

In the 68th minute, Roberto De Zerbi made three changes, bringing on Mikey Moore, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus for Gray, Robertson and Tell.

After the second goal was conceded, Tonali was replaced by Dominic Solanke.

Newcastle United Lineup Vs Tottenham Hotspur

Jaissle, on the other hand, opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Lukáš Horníček in goal, Amar Dedić at right-back, Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman in the centre of defence, and Lewis Hall at left-back.

Nico González and Lewis Miley started in central midfield, while in the attacking quartet, Joe Willock started behind Yoane Wissa, while Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga started on the left and right wing, respectively.

The Magpies made six substitutions during the game.

In the 71st minute, before the second goal, Willock and Nico came off for Nick Woltemade and Sean Steur.

Approximately 11 minutes later, Jaissle changed the team again.

Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy replaced Wissa and Elanga.

Lastly, in the 81st minute, Barnes made way for Bazoumana Touré, who scored one goal in the EFL Cup against West Brom.

Tottenham Build-Up Structure

To understand how Newcastle defended, we first need to look at Tottenham’s build-up.

Fernandes and Marmoush would drop between Newcastle’s defensive and midfield lines, creating a square with Tonali and Bentancur.

At the same time, left-back Robertson would push higher into a winger position, while Tel would move inside, positioning himself between Newcastle’s full-back and centre-back.

These movements created different problems for Newcastle, as they had to decide whether to follow the players dropping inside or stay in their defensive positions.

Newcastle Style Of Play Out Of Possession

Defensively, Newcastle used a 4-4-2 structure, with No. 10 Willock joining striker Wissa in the first line of the press.

Wissa would initiate the high press with a curved run towards the goalkeeper, forcing Tottenham to play towards their left side, while Willock would then step up to press the left centre-back.