Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has dismissed the idea of altering his team’s formation to counter Hull City’s defensive setup ahead of their Premier League clash at St James’ Park on Sunday. Hull, who sit in the top four since their promotion last season, have yet to lose this term and will deploy a back five with three centre-backs, a formation that had previously posed difficulties for Newcastle's opponents.

Jaissle, whose side suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Leeds United in their last outing, was clear that he intends to maintain his preferred 4-2-3-1 system rather than adopting a back three. “No, No. No. Absolutely the wrong approach,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of sticking to the team’s playing principles rather than changing formation just to mirror the opposition. He highlighted the value of providing players with a stable tactical framework.

Hull’s defensive resilience has become a hallmark of their season so far, prompting questions about how Newcastle plans to break down their low block. Jaissle expressed confidence in his young squad’s ability to find solutions despite their relative inexperience. “Hull is doing an excellent job this season and not many teams are finding solutions against them,” he said, adding that Newcastle have a clear strategy for creating chances and scoring goals.

Central to Jaissle’s philosophy is an aggressive, vertical style of football. When asked to elaborate on this approach, he described it as a flexible principle focused on quickly progressing the ball forward, whether through long passes or searching for deep options. “If the opposition is taking away the depth, then you need to find other solutions,” he explained, noting the importance of adaptability within the overall mindset of attacking with intent and exploiting space behind defensive lines.

Following their defeat at Leeds, Jaissle acknowledged the need for Newcastle to respond with increased intensity and sharper execution, particularly in duels and in recovering second balls. “Learning from our mistakes… if you’re tougher in those duels, more aggressive, more sharp and hungry, then it will be automatically a huge step already,” he said. The coach emphasized that such improvements would boost possession and allow Newcastle to pose a greater threat to Hull.

The encounter represents a critical test for Newcastle to demonstrate resilience and tactical coherence under Jaissle’s direction as they seek to bounce back from their first loss of the season against a well-organized and unbeaten Hull City side.