Yohann Cabaye’s masterclass in different roles for France and Newcastle

A happy French team that is served well by Yohann Cabaye

Yohann Cabaye was seen as a potential target for Wenger 2 years ago and again at the start of this season. But the French midfielder was widely unappreciated by the Arsenal fans who expected a big money signing by this time.

Cabaye was sub-sequentially dropped by Pardew for a couple of games, and the Magpies manager blamed Wenger for having turned the midfielder’s head and that in affect having affected his international selections. Cabaye, after being overlooked for the first game away at Kiev, was finally given a chance in the return leg against Ukraine.

The Frenchman’s performance in a role that is in no way similar to one he is currently prospering at in Newcastle, has made a definitive statement which more or less blanks outs Samir Nasri’s claim in midfield.

Deschamps had chosen a double pivot of Pogba and Matuidi in Kiev, with Nasri as the No.10 player. The Manchester city midfielder though was criticized in some circles for not connecting the midfield with the attack on most occasions, but neither of the 2 deeper midfielders Pogba or Matuidi were adept at distribution to the flanks and this left Nasri with the lone option of falling deep and receiving short passes from the duo. This also resulted in France’s attacks being very one dimensional, as both the wingers were looking to get in behind the defence and latch on to Giroud’s headers.

Cabaye’s introduction in the return leg massively boosted France’s tactics in midfield. Cabaye was positioned as the holding midfielder behind Pogba and Matuidi, and rather than Nasri, Valbeuna was preferred on the wings. Valbeuna is a player very similar to Arsenal’s Cazorla and was given the license to drift across midfield.

So now it was Valbeuna at times collecting the ball deeper in midfield from Cabaye or the defence, and this allowed Pogba especially to be his adventurous self and venture into the space upfront left by Valbeuna. But the key behind all this clockwork ticking was Yohann Cabaye’s presence very deep in his half and his ability of fantastic long range passing.

Cabaye was often found in between the centre halves while France were in possession, and this allowed the likes of Varane and Debutchy to move higher up the pitch with the ball.

Cabaye’s stats of tackling and interceptions have been on a high this season for Newcastle, and these were again seen on Tuesday where the midfielder was able to cover up for the marauding full-backs with some precise and last ditch tackles on the flanks. This characteristic of getting stretched into tackling in fullback positions is not that prevalent in the Frenchman’s style while playing for the Magpies.

For Newcastle, Cabaye and Tiote form the double pivot in the 4-4-2. So rather than going into full-fledged tackles, Cabaye has the role of distribution. With 2 spirited and physically commanding wingers Cissokho and Gouffran present in the ranks, Pardew’s setups see these 2 pickup balls in deeper areas and then rush ahead in attack. So this leaves much of Cabaye’s distribution as vertical balls into the duo of Remy and Ameobi.

Pardew’s setup against the bigger teams like Chelsea and Spurs has seen the midfield, including Cabaye and Tiote, press higher up the pitch together, and this has led to opponents like Dembele and Paulinho commit mistakes under pressure. This tactic has led to the quality in distribution to the wings to have reduced drastically for the opposition, but certainly it always leaves Newcastle on the brink of being subjected to a quick counter with just one pass out of the back from the opponents.

The upcoming game against Norwich will again see Newcastle face a side preferring a 4-3-3 with a pair of cutting-in wingers Pilkington and Snodgrass. But the bigger challenge here would be for the duo of Cabaye and Tiote against the towering figures of Fer and Tettey.

Unlike Demeble, Fer is a much more reliable source of distribution from the deep, and the Dutchman is very similar to Paulinho in the way he arrives in the box. And in Johny Howson, Chris Hughton has a midfielder who will always remain free as Norwich’s trio outnumber Newcastle’s midfield duo.

Cabaye in action in the Premier League for Newcastle

A major drawback of playing Cabaye as the deepest midfielder was seen on Tuesday when Ukraine used long balls to find their striker upfront. Cabaye can barely be called a physical presence and rarely is he ever seen going into headed duels with the opposition.

So it was Sakho who had to step out of defence on plenty of occasions to cover for Cabaye. This often led to awkward situations as it left Varane alone to defend against any kind of layoff that the striker was able to get ahead of Sakho. A similar possibility can arise against the likes of Hooper or Wolfswinkel, and Norwich do have 2 cut-in wingers to prosper from such a situation.

Apart from being part of the deep lying duo at Newcastle, or the deepest midfielder for France, Pardew often promotes the Frenchman into the No.10 role after Anita is brought into the side. Though this being a much more secondary role, and ironically one that he was played at in the Euros, Cabaye’s precise balls behind the defence are again crucial ones for the likes of Remy and Sissokho.

All in all, Yohann Cabaye has indeed added an extra dimension for France in holding midfield. Though it will mostly be rewarding Ribery with much better service, it will be very crucial to unleash the likes of Pogba and Valbeuna in attack.