In the recent international break, England confirmed their qualification for the 2024 European Championships to be held in Germany this summer, following victory over defending champions Italy. While selecting some players into the Euros squad is considered a no-brainer, such as captain Harry Kane and world-class talent Jude Bellingham, other positions have come under much scrutiny in recent months.
A particular area of contention is central midfield following Jordan Henderson’s controversial move to the Saudi Pro League and Kalvin Phillip’s lack of game time at Manchester City. The North-East has had a long history of producing midfield talent for England, from Sir Bobby Charlton to Bryan Robson and Paul Gascoigne, to name a few. Now, another midfield talent from Tyneside is emerging in the Premier League: North Shields-born Sean Longstaff.
After breaking through into Newcastle’s first team in 2018, Longstaff has endured some mixed fortunes at St James’ Park. The midfielder’s career has been revitalised, though, since the appointment of the current manager, Eddie Howe. Longstaff is yet to win a cap for England, but his recent form at Newcastle suggests he may not be far off one.
In this tactical analysis and scout report, we will assess Longstaff’s midfield role at Newcastle. We will further analyse how Longstaff could benefit the England squad based on his performances on Tyneside and the tactics instructed by Howe.
A selfless player
Based on recent performances and league standing, Newcastle are showing that last season’s impressive 4th-place finish in the Premier League was no fluke. The Magpies endured a difficult start to this season, losing three on the bounce in the league. However, since the defeat away to Brighton, they have lost only one of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
The start of this impressive run coincided with Longstaff’s return to the starting XI. The 26-year-old midfielder has been ever-present in the starting line-up since in the Premier League and Champions League.
Longstaff operates in the number eight role for Newcastle on the right-hand side of a three-man midfield, as Howe typically sets up his side in a 4-3-3 formation. Moreover, Longstaff often switches to operate in the more traditional number six role in defensive midfield to provide cover for Bruno Guimarães.
In the above match still, Longstaff is positioned centrally as Newcastle’s deepest-lying midfielder. Longstaff’s positioning has enabled Guimarães to join the press in the middle third of the pitch, win the tackle, and progress the forward play. The Brazilian eventually goes on to score for the Magpies.
Longstaff has shown his capabilities defensively this season, as he currently ranks in the 81st percentile for percentage of defensive duels won compared to others in the same position in tier one. When Longstaff has been able to drop deeper in such instances, it has given Guimarães more license to venture further forward up the pitch.
The graphic above shows when Guimarães has started alongside Longstaff this season, he has been much more effective at advancing the play forward for Newcastle. The Brazilian is particularly making more progressive runs on the right-hand side.
Longstaff’s hybrid positioning could be of benefit to England and, in particular, Bellingham.
Bellingham is having a stellar debut season at Real Madrid, as testified by the above graphic, as he has scored 10 non-penalty goals in La Liga, far exceeding his 5.93 expected goals tally. In contrast, the former Dortmund midfielder has been less influential in the Euro 2024 qualifiers for England as he is yet to score.
In La Liga this campaign, the England youngster has made 2.5 attempts at goals per match compared to one shot per match during the Euro 2024 qualifiers. This suggests he has been much less threatening in an attacking sense for England compared to the domestic scene.
Bellingham’s form at the Bernabeu this season is primarily due to switching to a number 10 role, operating behind two wide forwards. On the other hand, England traditionally lines up with Kane up front, occasionally in a 4-3-3 formation. For the recent qualifier against Italy, however, Gareth Southgate experimented with a 4-2-3-1 formation, allowing Bellingham to operate in the number 10 role.
The 4-2-3-1 included a defensive midfield partnership of Declan Rice and Phillips. Whilst Rice is an ever-present for Arsenal this season, Phillips has struggled to break into the Manchester City starting XI, even when his teammate Rodri was suspended.
Phillips has so far played 172 minutes for City this season and less than nine full 90 minutes when you also factor in last season’s appearances for City in all competitions. In comparison, Longstaff has played more than five times as many minutes for Newcastle since the start of last season.
Phillip’s lack of game time was evident in the recent Euro qualifier against Italy when he was substituted in the 70th minute. The former Leeds midfielder received a booking early doors and was fortunate not to be dismissed, suggesting his struggles with the pace of the game.
If England are to progress to the final of the Euros, Southgate’s side will have to contend with seven matches, which may include extra time and penalties. This is just short of the number of games Phillips has featured in his entire City career. Such a large amount of games in a one-month period will be physically demanding and is likely to require players who are playing regularly.
Longstaff is likely to be a key player for Newcastle this season, especially given the recent 10-month suspension for his teammate Sandro Tonali. Therefore, the midfielder is likely to have such required match fitness, and coupled with his defensive capabilities, he would be flexible in lining up in either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation for England. This could be crucial in allowing England to get the best out of Bellingham in the final third of the pitch.
Progressive passing range
In addition to his defensive play, Longstaff has demonstrated his ability to drive the attacking phases of play for Newcastle this season. The 26-year-old is particularly adept at providing dangerous progressive passes forward.
The graphic shows that Longstaff often makes long forward passes from the middle third of the pitch at an angle or down the right-hand channel.
The image shows Longstaff playing a long diagonal ball to Anthony Gordon out wide. This is typical of the type of progressive pass that Longstaff likes to make.
England currently has a wealth of talent in the wide attacking areas and, arguably, in Bukayo Saka, the best attacker in the Premier League in one-on-one situations. If Longstaff was selected for the international stage, passing such as this to Saka out wide could help drive play forward in the final third for England.
England lacked such inventive passing in the recent Euro qualifier against Ukraine.
Henderson was selected to play on the right-hand side of a midfield three against Ukraine, and it is shown here that when in possession of the ball, Henderson did have options in advanced positions on the left-hand side. Henderson, however, opted to play the ball back across the defence instead.
This wasn’t the only occasion against Ukraine that Henderson opted to play across the back rather than advance the play.
In this instance, Henderson did not exploit the space on the right channel left by the Ukraine defence and played the ball backwards instead. As well as playing the ball into the channel, Henderson could have alternatively passed towards his advanced teammate, who could have turned and attempted to advance into the space behind. The former Liverpool captain chose the safer option instead.
Had Longstaff been in Henderson’s position, he may well have opted to exploit the space in the channel as he often does for Newcastle. Here, it is shown the midfielder taking advantage of the advanced Sheffield United left-back, passing forward for Callum Wilson to run onto and drive forward upon receipt of the ball.
England will likely face opposition who will be very compact at the Euros, and it may be difficult to break teams down. However, with Longstaff’s passing range, the task may become more manageable and provide a better attacking outlet than Henderson’s performances for England since his move to Al-Ettifaq.
The graphic shows that Henderson has completed very few progressive passes in the recent qualifying matches. Although he didn’t start the Italy match, he did feature for the last 20 minutes, arguably enough time to make an impact. However, he failed to complete a successful progressive pass.
There is no doubt about Henderson’s experience as a player and the attributes that he can bring to the dressing room, but it may be time that Southgate starts to consider the future, and at only 26 years of age, Longstaff has arguably not reached his prime yet. Longstaff, therefore, could be a valid option for a forward-thinking approach.
Box-to-box midfielder
Given the lack of playing time by Phillips, it would be hard to compare his recent performances to Longstaff. Equally, a direct comparison to Henderson is difficult, considering Henderson is playing in a much inferior domestic league.
According to the current Opta power rankings, which ranks clubs across the globe, at the time of writing, Newcastle rank 11th, nestled between Atletico Madrid and Tottenham. On the other hand, Henderson’s Al-Ettifaq rank 485th, eight places below Wigan, who are currently hovering just above the drop zone in EFL League One, England’s third tier.
However, another midfield option that Southgate is currently selecting within the England squads is Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher.
The radar chart shows that Longstaff is currently outperforming the Chelsea midfielder in most areas. Longstaff’s lack of passing accuracy may be a consequence of the types of passing he is attempting, as previously shown.
Another midfielder who there has been much debate about why he hasn’t been called up at St Georges Park, is West Ham’s summer signing, James Ward-Prowse.
The radar charts show that although Ward-Prowse is more adept at dribbling with the ball, Longstaff is outperforming the former Saints midfielder in defensive and possession-based attributes. It is such attributes that could be crucial in allowing Bellingham more freedom in advanced areas, as alluded to previously.
Ward-Prowse is slightly edging the goal contribution per 90. It would suggest that considering there is an argument for Ward-Prowse to be called up to the England squad, there is also a case for Longstaff.
It is shown in the radar charts that Longstaff has a strong overall game. He can be effective in all areas of the pitch.
The match still shows Longstaff tracking back and going in for a tackle. He averts the danger, and the ball goes out for a corner. He has worked tirelessly as part of the midfield three on Tyneside this season.
Here, Burnley are in possession and seemingly have plenty of space and time to clear from their own half.
Longstaff, though, despite not being the nearest Newcastle player to the ball, charged down the opposition, running across the penalty area. The pressing by Longstaff is effective as suddenly Burnley are hemmed in deep inside their own half from what seemed a relatively easy clearance initially.
The images suggest that Longstaff has the fitness levels to be effective with the match demands of tournament football in the summer. The Geordie midfielder has also improved his attacking credentials this season. He currently scores 0.29 goals per match in the Premier League compared to 0.04 goals per match last season.
Longstaff often looks to run into the penalty area between the space left by the opposing centre back and left back. In the Champions League match against PSG, Kieran Trippier plays a through ball into the vacant space which Longstaff is advancing into.
Upon receiving the pass, Longstaff strikes at goal and extends the Magpie’s lead to score their third goal of the night. It is shown how effective Longstaff is for Newcastle in a number eight role, covering all thirds of the pitch. There is a case that he could replicate his excellent form on the international stage. Only time will tell if he is given the opportunity to do so.
Conclusion
In this tactical analysis and scout report, we have seen how the 4-3-3 formation at Newcastle suits Longstaff’s style of play. As well as improving his attacking contribution from last season, the 26-year-old displays positive passing and strong defensive play.
We have shown that the unselfish nature of the North Shields-born player is having a positive impact on Guimarães’ performances. This analysis has further identified how Longstaff’s unselfish nature and versatility could, similarly, be a positive influence for Bellingham.
Based on the comparisons and current performances of the other midfield options for England, there is a strong case that Longstaff could be ready for his first call-up. It may be worth Southgate’s while to pencil in more visits to St James’ Park in the future to determine if Longstaff could earn a place for the squad in Germany.
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