Steve Bruce believes his Newcastle United side are now playing with “freedom” and hopes to see more of the same in the remainder of the season.
The Magpies have switched from a back five to the more traditional back four. Bruce now takes his team to Southampton as the emphasis swings back on to United’s bid for survival in the Premier League.
United are likely to play Miguel Almiron as number 10 and allow January signing Valentino Lazaro to get forward on the South Coast.
Bruce said: “They’ve (the forwards) been criticised, so it was nice to see them play with a bit of freedom.
“Maybe the change in system suits them. We have to tighten up defensively a bit, but in the last couple of games we’ve looked more of a threat and that’s important.
“I thought (Almiron) looked a top, top player.
“We all know he can score, it’s just he didn’t get off to a great start.
“He missed a few chances and that eats away at you. But the one thing you can’t deny is that the kid is a top player.”
And reflecting on Lazaro’s contributions, Bruce added: “I also thought Tino (Lazaro) gave us a nice balance on the right-hand side, I thought his movement and touch was good. For an hour, I was delighted with us.
“It’s a shame we finished the last ten minutes the way we did but we’re in the last eight and it wouldn’t be Newcastle if we weren’t to make a late drama out of it.”
