Football Manager 2021 Newcastle tactic and team guide. Club culture and
board requirements, tactics, key players, youth prospects and potential
transfers in FM21
About the club
Newcastle are a club rich in history. They have spent a staggering 87 seasons in England’s top-flight football. However, things are not all rosy for the magpies. There is a lot of growing discord between the fans and the owners regarding the direction that the club is heading into. A club takeover has recently fallen through and fans fear for the future of the club with other clubs ready to invest in order to improve.
Board Requirements
Newcastle United finished a respectable 13th in the 2019-2020 season despite being one of the favourites to get relegated. The board expectations this time, when you take over, will be;

1. A Mid-table PL Finish
2. Making the 5th round of the FA cup
3. Making the 4th round of the EFL Carabao Cup
There will not be any specific requirement from the board on which you’ll be judged. There is no good news from the financial side as the magpies' board only offer a shoestring budget to work with. You will however be required to not sign players who are above 28 years of age and develop players using the club’s youth system.
The club has decent training facilities but a mediocre youth setup. Should you achieve stability with the club, you should definitely concentrate on improving these.
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Squad, Formation and Tactical Style
Wing play or a direct counter-attacking style of football are two of the tactics that bodes well for the squad you are provided with and my suggestion would be to go with either of those. Newcastle do not have the players to play any sort of possession-based football.
A 5-4-1 formation is what Newcastle deploy in real life and is probably the best setup up you can use in-game as well. There is a total shortage of creativity in the squad with crosses & set plays remain as one of the few ways to create chances. You need to ensure that your defence is tight as scoring goals is going to be a hard task.
A rough example of what your line-up would look like in a 5-4-1 formation is as follows;

Martin Dubravka as a regular keeper
Fabian Schar, Jamal Lascelles & Federico Fernandez as your back 3. A tight defence is crucial to your survival in the league.
DeAndre Yedlin & Matt Ritchie as your 2 wingbacks with increased crossing instructions.
Isaac Hayden & Jono Shelvey as the 2 central midfielders, Hayden can be a box to box player and Shelvey in more of a playmaker’s role.
Miguel Almiron & Allan Saint-Maximin as your 2 wide midfielders. They are a few of the creative players in your squad.
Callum Wilson as the lone striker in a pressing forward role.
If you’re chasing goals you can opt to play an additional striker in Joelington or use Ryan Fraser from the bench.
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Key Players
1. Callum Wilson

The new signing Wilson is the best goal-scoring threat at the club and has half the league goals Newcastle have scored this season in real life. Keeping him fit is vital in securing positive results in the season.
2. Miguel Almiron

Miguel Almiron is one of the very few creative players in the squad. The South American can create chances with his direct running and passing vision.
3. Allan Saint-Maximin

Allan Saint-Maximin is a very direct winger. He can create a lot of trouble for defences with his trickery and quick feet.
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Weaknesses
1. The overall quality outside the first XI is very poor. The team especially lacks any creative or attacking players.
2. With very few options available to play in attacking positions you have to be very rigid with formation and tactics so once the team figure you out it could be very difficult to achieve results.
3. With a shoestring budget and no real backing from the owner it is a very hard task to create stability and sustain good results.
Potential Transfers (in)
These players could be a handy addition to the Newcastle squad and help them achieve their targets,
· Matheus Perreira
· Leandro Trossard
Potential Transfers (Out)
These players may be surplus to requirements at the club or may not be of the expected quality.
· Dwight Gayle
· Ciaran Clark
Youth Prospects
There are a few exciting young prospects in the ranks who have the potential to be very good players in the league. A few examples are,
1. Sean Longstaff

Already a firm part of the first squad plans, Longstaff is a hardworking central midfielder. He has the ability to run up and down the pitch constantly and is a very industrious presence in midfield.
2. Jamal Lewis

The new signing is a bundle of energy on the left side of the pitch. His attacking nature and ability to run past defenders make him an asset for the Newcastle side already and will only improve with time.
3. Rodrigo Vilca
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Summary
To sumarise, Newcastle are not a very easy club to start your managerial career in. With so many challenges and the ever-increasing quality of competing teams, it could be very difficult to achieve desirable results. Are you up for this challenge?