Demolition Derby: Cattermole v Tiote will epitomise Tyne-wear war

Cheik Tiote (L), Lee Cattermole

It’s a gloomy time up in the North East. The appointment of Joe Kinnear as Director of Football at Newcastle sparked what was already a tense relationship between fans and the Toon hierarchy, and it didn’t help that it coincided with a huge slump of form at St James’ Park. Neighbours Sunderland are also having problems, sitting rock bottom of the Premier League without a win in their opening eight fixtures and having already parted company with Paolo Di Canio. However,  despite neither side having the rub of the green over the last few months, it will all be forgotten come this weekend when the pair meet in Sunday’s North East derby.

While the fans ramp themselves up for inevitable disappointment and the police horses get their helmets ready, Gus Poyet and Alan Pardew will be drilling their commands into their troops for what is likely to be strenuous slog for both sides.

As is the case with all derby games, tensions will be high and there will be moments for both sets of supporters to vent their frustrations about in an over exaggerated way, but there is one battle which is prominent, and that lies in the middle of the pitch.

Lee Cattermole and Cheik Tiote have history, and it’s likely that whoever wins the battle between these two will go some way to winning the war for their club. Cattermole played just one game for the Black Cats between December 2012 and September of this year because of a knee injury, but he’s been reintroduced into the squad and added a bit of bite back into the side.

How Cattermole has fared in duels this season

So far this season the 25-year-old has won 8/10 of his tackles and both of his attempted headers, and is surprisingly still without a booking. Poyet is a manager who demands his players to press the opposition when chasing the ball and, and although Cattermole has been known to clamber around the pitch like an overexcited Labrador, his desire is there and it will serve him well in that aspect.

Tiote, on the other hand, has suffered from a from Pardew’s desire for his players to get the ball up the pitch as quickly as possible, which totally overlooks the central midfield players. It wasn’t so long ago that the Ivorian was being fancied for a switch to one of Europe’s big hitters, but a loss of form and a confidence slump has seen his reputation plummet.

This season the 27-year-old has gone back to basics, stealing possession and offloading the ball to a team-mate next to him. The average distance of his passing has dropped from 21m last season to 16m this season, and his accuracy has jumped from 84% to 89% – the best in the squad of any player who has played more than a single game.

Tiote’s passing accuracy so far this season12

Both players average four defensive actions per game, but the majority of Tiote’s chores involve clearances (58.3%) while Cattermole’s is made up mostly of interceptions (64.7%). The former is a player who thrives in the defensive areas, making things uncomfortable for the opposition and doing the niggly jobs to aid the defensive unit, while the latter is an energetic box-to-box midfielder who holds a high level of positional sense and awareness, although his technical ability leaves a lot to be desired.

Both players love a tackle and it’s likely to be a fiery affair between the two when they come face to face again this weekend. While Tiote is the more elegant of the two, both have been guilty of filthy tackles over the years and both managers will be hoping that they can keep a lid on proceedings and not let the occasion get to their heads.