This is part of a series from The Athletic breaking down the tactical approach of Premier League teams for the 2025-26 season. You can read about the other teams we’ve covered so far via the links below.

• Arsenal
• Leeds United
• Burnley
• Manchester United
• Sunderland

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In outlining how Newcastle have played under Eddie Howe, a certain wantaway Swedish centre-forward has been pivotal. The question mark over Alexander Isak’s future means that, should he depart before September, Newcastle’s overall game plan will need to alter.

But the overarching blueprint will not be discarded. Newcastle’s head coach will not deviate from his defined principles — front-foot defending, aggression and high intensity are key traits of ‘Howe-ball’.

Here, The Athletic breaks down Newcastle’s approach under Howe, and the changes that may occur in the 2025-26 season.

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Shape and formation

Howe will hate reading this, but his team selection has been mostly predictable, at least in its formation.

For 113 matches straight from November 2021 to March 2024, Howe sent out his Newcastle side in a 4-3-3. Since then, any occasional deviation has always been followed by a reversion.

To the untrained eye, it may appear as if Howe sticks to the same tactical approach for every game. Yet meticulous planning means that there is always a nuanced plan — 4-3-3 is his nominal starting formation, but individual roles are tweaked depending on the opposition.

Towards the end of 2024-25, Howe even shifted to a back three. That three-man defence was occasionally seen during pre-season, but it is more likely that Howe will save that setup when facing European-qualification rivals. Sven Botman, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar have operated well as a trio, while defender Malick Thiaw, who last night completed his move from Milan, is adept at playing in any centre-back position.

The predominance of 4-3-3 is evident in the graphic below, which shows the average position of Newcastle’s players during the ‘build-up’ and ‘creation’ phases.

During the creation phase — when a side builds out from the back — Newcastle try to use greater width, with the full-backs often closest to the touchlines and the wingers pushing outwards.

Once Newcastle advance into the creation phase — which starts once they have moved the ball into attacking areas — their shape narrows. The gaps between players close and the midfield three push to join the forwards, with Howe keen to flood the box with runners.

Newcastle are still evolving, especially in possession. Just as it will take time for the club to compete against the elite clubs within the bounds of profit and sustainability rules (PSR), their territorial dominance does not yet mirror the traditionally successful sides.