CRAIG HOPE: How Eddie Howe forged the Premier League's best defence with one crucial mantra

Eddie Howe was not laughing a year ago, when Newcastle were beaten 4-2 at Liverpool and conceded 34 shots with an xG (expected goals) against of 7.27, an unwanted Premier League record.

‘Thanks for bringing that stat up, that’s a nice reminder of that night!’ said Howe on Friday, when I revisited the New Year’s Day battering at Anfield. This time, though, he was laughing.

As well he might. The context of reminding Howe of ‘that night’, as he put it, is that Newcastle currently have, on form, the Premier League’s meanest rearguard.

And here is the secret. When Newcastle’s defence is at its best, and this is the way Howe has designed it, they don’t have to do much defending at all.

Take their last four Premier League games. Not only have they won all four without conceding, goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has had only four saves to make.

At a ratio of one call of duty per game, that is the lowest in the top flight this season. And in fact, only two of those shots were from inside the penalty area.

Eddie Howe was not laughing as Newcastle suffered a chastening 4-2 loss at Anfield last year

Against a rampant Liverpool side the Magpies conceded 34 shots with a record xGA of 7.27

Yet a year later Newcastle currently have, on form, the Premier League’s meanest rearguard

Howe’s theory is that, when his team is functioning as he likes, it should reduce the need for last-gasp heroics. Stop the shot, stop the goal. Better still, stop the attack, stop the shot.

That is not to say Newcastle do not have players who put their bodies on the line - Dan Burn and Lewis Hall produced goalmouth blocks in the 2-0 win at Manchester United this week, and Howe relishes that enthusiasm - but in using your mind, the body can be spared.

And that comes back to the key that has unlocked Newcastle’s season, and locked out the opposition - Sandro Tonali as the holding midfielder. Right now, the Italian has a hold on just about everything, in front of him and behind. He even found time to nutmeg the referee at Old Trafford.

‘He’s sprinting to put out fires, nicking balls, intercepting balls, using his athleticism to track runners. He’s been excellent from a defensive viewpoint,’ said Howe, whose team are unbeaten in eight matches with Tonali as a ‘No 6’.

The insurance policy behind Tonali is Burn. ‘You’ll never, ever beat Dan Burn’ they sing, and the ode is proving true to life. The Geordie giant is football’s Diplodocus with Stegosaurus armoury. He has the NBA frame with NFL strength.

When Thomas Tuchel takes in his first Premier League match as England boss during Newcastle’s trip to Tottenham on Saturday, he will be watching the country’s most in-form centre back.

Burn has been Newcastle’s player of the season, and that is a competitive field to be heading when considering the likes of Alexander Isak. At 32 - 34 when the World Cup kicks off next year - his chances of a maiden call-up are slim, especially as qualifying looks so easy.

But is he playing better than John Stones, Harry Maguire and Marc Guehi, who have all featured for England at centre back of late? You bet.

With Sandro Tonali at the base of midfield as a No 6 Newcastle are unbeaten in eight matches

Dan Burn is arguably England's most in-form central defender with Thomas Tuchel set to watch Newcastle take on Tottenham on Saturday

Sven Botman’s imminent return from a 10-month knee injury has led many to assume he will take Burn’s place as Newcastle’s left-sided centre back. Not Howe.

‘As long as Dan continues to play in the way that he has this season, there’s no way you can contemplate losing him from the backline,’ said the head coach, who brought Burn back home from Brighton three years ago this month for £13million.

‘He has been an incredible signing, even better than I thought he would be. We knew he was talented and could be a difference maker with stature and size. When you add leadership and consistency of performance and selection, he’s been a tower of strength in the dressing room, a real, powerful force.’

And what of Howe’s own journey? He was a centre back as a player yet, as a coach, it was a criticism often levelled at him at Bournemouth that he could not organise a defence.

In five seasons in the Premier League, his Cherries team never conceded fewer than 60 goals. He laughed, too, when I reminded him of that reputation.

‘I’ll take that in the way you meant it!’ he said, accepting the existence of the historical stigma with a smile.

‘But I think you always evolve as coach. I don’t have the same view on the game that I did five or six years ago. If I did, there would be an issue. You are always changing your focus, changing the things you believe are the most relevant to your team.

‘Believe it or not, we’ve always had a big focus on the defensive side of the game - it would be negligent not to. But the delivery is all down to the players. Let’s not kid ourselves - if you don’t have good defenders and a good midfield structure to protect your defence, you’re going to concede goals. If you’re goalkeeping is not playing well, you’re going to concede goals.’

Howe's side have seven clean sheets this term to rank behind only Liverpool and Nottingham Forest (eight)

At present, Howe’s midfield is playing well and so are his defenders and goalkeeper. Their seven clean sheets this season rank behind only Liverpool and Nottingham Forest (both eight), and adds to a burgeoning defensive c.v. that includes the 2022-23 season, when no team let in fewer goals than Howe’s Newcastle.

‘It’s also about a willingness to defend your goal,’ he added. ‘Against Brentford (a 4-2 defeat in November), we didn’t have it. I was really disappointed with our defensive output that day. It was not what I wanted to see from the team. There has been a much better response.

‘You saw against Manchester United, the chances they did have, we were throwing our bodies in the way and it looked like we had a great desire to defend. The challenge is to keep that going.’

Keep going and it will take Newcastle back into the Champions League, just as an impenetrable backline did in 2023.

The numbers have them headed for that prize once more - and that’s not bad for a coach whose teams, it was once said, could not defend.

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