Newcastle United have not only become a better side under Eddie Howe, but a bigger one, too. Literally.
In fact, according to the measurements Newcastle and the Premier League have listed on their websites, only two of Howe's nine senior signings to date have been less than six foot tall: Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes. Howe likes working with technical players and hard-working, selfless characters but, clearly, the Newcastle boss has wanted to make sure his side can stand up to the rigours of the top-flight as well.
"You need a mix of attributes," Howe told reporters. "I don't think you necessarily want to be too reliant on one thing. Yes, we've signed players of size. I think that's so important in this league. Every opponent we have will have similar so you need to be able to mix that physically.
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"You also want your technical players and smaller players, maybe, that can manipulate the ball and have got a low centre of gravity. You need players to do different jobs. The team needs to have a mix of qualities. We're building that. I don't think we're quite there yet in terms of the finished product but, certainly, we're on our way."
Whether it is the 6ft 6in Nick Pope or the 6ft 4in Alexander Isak, this is a noticeably taller side than the one Howe assembled at Bournemouth where there were only a handful of regulars in his final campaign at the club who were over six foot such as Aaron Ramsdale, Steve Cook, Philip Billing and Dominic Solanke.
That added height has some obvious advantages given the work Howe and his staff have carried out to make Newcastle a more effective unit out of possession and a harder to beat outfit full stop. David Webb, who worked with Howe as Bournemouth's head of recruitment, knows what the Newcastle boss looks for in players and has certainly taken note of the profile of the Magpies' new arrivals.
"A lot of Ed's work is very possession based," Webb told ChronicleLive. "He likes to attack and play on the front foot but, with the work they have to undertake when they don't have the ball, you need a higher physical capacity to do that.
"That will also be included in the players they look for in all outfield positions. That will be a must because of that collective pressing in how they win the ball back and try and progress forward.
"It's evolved over time from Bournemouth. The level of players that he can now potentially acquire in the market is more suited to his playing style more than ever, especially on transitions.
"You have to be strong in both boxes, especially in the Premier League, but you can score a lot of goals from set-pieces and concede a lot of goals as well. So to have that sort of physicality, presence, attacking threat and defensive solidity in there will definitely help."
Newcastle, who were once so soft at the back, have yet to concede a header so far this season with the 6ft 7in Dan Burn and the 6ft 4in Sven Botman among those tasked with keeping the ball out of the net. At the other end of the field, Newcastle turned a physical cup tie at Tranmere on its head last month thanks to the towering Jamaal Lascelles and Chris Wood's presence in the opposition box; Kieran Trippier's set-piece deliveries; and, of course, the routines devised by Howe's staff.
That has been an area Newcastle have made real strides in. First-team coach Stephen Purches and assistants Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones break set-plays up and each coach has a specific area of the team to focus on. Purches, in particular, has been widely credited with the improvements Newcastle have made offensively from corners and free-kicks.
Those developments helped turn and win games last season, whether it was Mason Holgate's own goal equaliser against Everton; Fabian Schar's header against Brighton; Bruno's ingenious back heel volley at Southampton; or the Brazil international's leveller against Leicester City.
According to Opta, Newcastle scored 14 goals from set-plays last season, which was the seventh best return in the division and a four-goal improvement on the previous campaign, and opposition coaches are all highlighting that threat in pre-match meetings now. Everton assistant Paul Clement even referred to Newcastle as 'one of the best set-play teams in the country'. Having some giants to call upon in both boxes has undoubtedly helped.
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