Newcastle United End 70 Years of Silence

The story of Newcastle United is like the Buendia family in the novel “100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The Buendia family fell into a reincarnation trap and were born into the next generation only to inherit more bad luck. Newcastle also experienced that fate for 70 years. However, the 70-year bad luck without a domestic trophy was broken in the English League Cup final against Liverpool, which Newcastle won with a score of 2-1.

Ahead of the final match which will take place at Wembley Stadium, London, Sunday (16/3/2025) evening WIB, many Newcastle supporters are worried that the long wait for the trophy will continue. Their anxiety is not without reason. Newcastle supporters have been waiting for the championship title to stop by their city for 70 years. Experience speaks, Newcastle has always failed in every final they have played.

The 1955 FA Cup was their last domestic trophy. After that, Newcastle's long wait continued. "The Magpies" tried to break the cycle of bad luck by reaching the FA Cup final in 1974, 1998 and 1999 but failed.

Likewise, attempts to win the English League Cup in 1976 and 2023 also ended in disappointment. In the Premier League, Newcastle almost became champions in 1996 and 1997. Like the fate of the Buendia family, Newcastle eventually became trapped in an endless samsara.

Newcastle's trophy drought finally came to an end under Eddie Howe. The former Bournemouth manager appears to have learned a lot from Newcastle's defeat in the Carabao Cup final two seasons ago.

At that time, Newcastle lost two goals to nil from Manchester United despite being able to dominate possession of the ball up to 61 percent. MU who was under pressure was able to appear efficient by releasing 10 shots on goal.

Howe brings that painful experience as valuable capital to face this final. The opponent they face is also very tough, Liverpool, who this season has only experienced one defeat in the Premier League. If two seasons ago Newcastle believed that dominating possession would bring them glory, this time Howe changed his approach.

Facing Liverpool who were more favored because they were defending champions, Newcastle played more structured by strengthening their midfield. Throughout the match, Liverpool were indeed more dominant in controlling the course of the match. However, Liverpool's dominance of ball possession meant nothing.

Newcastle were superior in midfield thanks to the intensity of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton in pressing. They succeeded in forcing Liverpool to release long balls that were ineffective in penetrating Newcastle's defense.

Unlike Liverpool, Newcastle know what kind of threat they want. Howe uses the 198 cm tall defender, Dann Burn, in every corner kick scheme. Burn will move away from the guards of Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. The corner kick taker then directs the ball to Burn who is relatively free without interference.

The scheme resulted in Newcastle's opening goal at the end of the first half. Alexis Mac Allister who is only 173 cm tall was powerless to win the aerial duel with Burn.

"The game went their way. They got that extra energy towards half-time with that goal (Dann Burn), which they probably deserved after the first 45 minutes because they threatened us more than we threatened them," said Liverpool manager Arne Slot.

Without the suspended Anthony Gordon, Newcastle's attack lacked flexibility. However, Alexander Isak was able to fill the gap left by Gordon. Rather than instructing Isak to duel with Van Dijk, Howe asked him to move wide.

Liverpool's right wing position left by Trent Alexander-Arnold due to injury became Isak's target. Jarell Quansah who replaced Alexander-Arnold was considered to be outmatched in the duel with Isak. Therefore, Van Dijk and Konate took the initiative to help Quansah.

The tactic made Van Dijk and Konate wide, leaving their positions as center-backs. Harvey Banes and Joelinton then did not waste the momentum to rush in and pose a threat to Liverpool's goal. Despite losing possession, Newcastle excelled in terms of creating opportunities. "The Magpies" created a total of three golden opportunities and released six shots on target, more than Liverpool who only created two shots on target.

Newcastle's second goal scored by Isak came from an attack on the right side of Liverpool's defense. Howe's other attack scheme was to use the second ball more clinically. Isak fired a hard shot from inside the penalty box after receiving a rebound from Jacob Murphy. Newcastle's game pattern or scheme was not obtained instantly. They were able to do it after practicing repeatedly before the final.

“With the way the game is set, we have been training consistently on a certain scheme for two weeks leading up to this game,” Howe said.

Liverpool only managed to respond at the end of the match through Federico Chiesa who scored after escaping the offside trap. However, Liverpool's momentum of revival came too late so they ran out of time before they could score an equalizer.

Because of this defeat, Liverpool's only chance of winning the title is in the Premier League. Previously, "The Reds" were eliminated from the FA Cup and the European Champions League.

"Today, it wasn't about running. It was more about the duel. Mentally, it's always tough to lose a final," Slot said.

With the arrival of the first domestic trophy after 70 years of silence, the whole city of Newcastle is now rejoicing. Burn and Isak deserve to be remembered in eternity as the heroes of the final match that brought Newcastle out of the circle of trophy isolation. (REUTERS)