🔗 Share this article Bewildering & Enchanting Newcastle Search for Answer to Halt Disorder Followers of the Tyneside club are more and more seeing Eddie Howe's squad as an inconsistent companion. At their brilliant best, they can be the undisputed thrill-seekers, producing high-octane exhibitions. But, on other occasions, once-dependable players like Sandro Tonali and his teammates utterly do not show up. Exacerbating the frustration is a late-game game management riddled with a pronounced element of chaos. Ahead of their holiday fixture to Manchester United, the statistics tell a sobering story: the team has squandered 13 vital top-flight points from leading situations this campaign and are without a clean sheet in ten straight games in every tournament. Claiming three points at their famous stadium would constitute only their second league success on the travel this season. A Narrative of Two Sides: Hope Within the Erraticism Conversely, a loss has been tasted on one occasion in their last 6 Premier League fixtures, and despite sitting in a modest eleventh spot, they remain a mere six marks off the coveted Champions League places. Add in an upcoming two-legged Carabao Cup last-four clash against Manchester City and a reasonable prospect of moving on to the European Cup knockout phase, and it becomes easier to see the manager's guarded optimism. “It's not only about difficulties,” stated the team's boss. “We have positives as well. I am decidedly positive right now. I understand outside observers may hold a different view, but my belief is we are making progress.” The puzzle is: will this group match – or even exceed – the heights of the previous campaign's cup glory and fifth-place finish? Managing a packed schedule hinders. Exhaustion and Tactical Teething Problems The resulting tiredness may be the reason behind the failure to sustain a stellar first-half performance versus their London rivals, ultimately squandering a two-goal lead to tie 2-2. Likewise, it could be the reason for a poor performance in a damaging defeat to local rivals the Black Cats, where the side seemed off the pace just days after a tough European away day. Although coaching is undoubtedly the manager's specialty, the constant schedule of two games a week football has radically reduced essential practice time. This impedes the squad's stylistic adaptation to operating with summer signing their number nine up front, instead of the now departed Alexander Isak. While hugely talented, the German forward has not shown the equivalent electric breakaway speed or relentless defensive work rate. In fact, the team's once-formidable pressing game has at times malfunctioned. Injuries to key component the Brazilian midfielder have been a factor, while big-money signings Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey have found it tough adapting after their substantial transfers. Shape Dilemmas and Defensive Woes If a switch to a three-man defense might theoretically help the team, a worsening defensive injury crisis makes that problematic. Important full-backs will be unavailable for the next crucial matches, challenging the team's resources. At their ferocious peak, they appear virtually unstoppable. The problem is sustaining that intensity for the full match. The typical plan B of dropping deep into a passive defensive shape has sometimes proven self-destructive. “The Chelsea match descended into chaotic at 2-2,” admitted the manager. “However the intention was going for the victory. We always go out to secure the three points.” The Way Ahead: Practicality What appears called for is a pragmatic solution – with better ball control, a engine room capable of dictating the tempo, and a pragmatic willingness to occasionally accept a point. Yet, a determination to compete on every fronts is pushing thin player numbers to their limit. This might appear unthinkable to some, but a different approach in the cup competitions earlier could have eased the present schedule pile-up. Amid vital European and Premier League matches on the agenda, the imperative to carefully prioritize is becoming increasingly obvious. Eddie Howe acknowledged the size of the challenge remaining. “Being at a club of this size, the pressures are immense. Each game is pivotal. We have work to do in the league. We are in the League Cup semi-finals, we aim to go through in the Champions League and perform in the FA Cup. “The direction is in the right direction, but we have lots of improvement to do to become the consistently successful side we aspire to be. Our capacity to string together sequences of victories has deserted us this season. “The objective is to reach that standard we know we're able to reach. The internal belief is that the confidence to do that is growing. Yet nowadays we have to demonstrate it. It ain't all bad right now, but the next few weeks will shape a great deal.”
Followers of the Tyneside club are more and more seeing Eddie Howe's squad as an inconsistent companion. At their brilliant best, they can be the undisputed thrill-seekers, producing high-octane exhibitions. But, on other occasions, once-dependable players like Sandro Tonali and his teammates utterly do not show up. Exacerbating the frustration is a late-game game management riddled with a pronounced element of chaos. Ahead of their holiday fixture to Manchester United, the statistics tell a sobering story: the team has squandered 13 vital top-flight points from leading situations this campaign and are without a clean sheet in ten straight games in every tournament. Claiming three points at their famous stadium would constitute only their second league success on the travel this season. A Narrative of Two Sides: Hope Within the Erraticism Conversely, a loss has been tasted on one occasion in their last 6 Premier League fixtures, and despite sitting in a modest eleventh spot, they remain a mere six marks off the coveted Champions League places. Add in an upcoming two-legged Carabao Cup last-four clash against Manchester City and a reasonable prospect of moving on to the European Cup knockout phase, and it becomes easier to see the manager's guarded optimism. “It's not only about difficulties,” stated the team's boss. “We have positives as well. I am decidedly positive right now. I understand outside observers may hold a different view, but my belief is we are making progress.” The puzzle is: will this group match – or even exceed – the heights of the previous campaign's cup glory and fifth-place finish? Managing a packed schedule hinders. Exhaustion and Tactical Teething Problems The resulting tiredness may be the reason behind the failure to sustain a stellar first-half performance versus their London rivals, ultimately squandering a two-goal lead to tie 2-2. Likewise, it could be the reason for a poor performance in a damaging defeat to local rivals the Black Cats, where the side seemed off the pace just days after a tough European away day. Although coaching is undoubtedly the manager's specialty, the constant schedule of two games a week football has radically reduced essential practice time. This impedes the squad's stylistic adaptation to operating with summer signing their number nine up front, instead of the now departed Alexander Isak. While hugely talented, the German forward has not shown the equivalent electric breakaway speed or relentless defensive work rate. In fact, the team's once-formidable pressing game has at times malfunctioned. Injuries to key component the Brazilian midfielder have been a factor, while big-money signings Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey have found it tough adapting after their substantial transfers. Shape Dilemmas and Defensive Woes If a switch to a three-man defense might theoretically help the team, a worsening defensive injury crisis makes that problematic. Important full-backs will be unavailable for the next crucial matches, challenging the team's resources. At their ferocious peak, they appear virtually unstoppable. The problem is sustaining that intensity for the full match. The typical plan B of dropping deep into a passive defensive shape has sometimes proven self-destructive. “The Chelsea match descended into chaotic at 2-2,” admitted the manager. “However the intention was going for the victory. We always go out to secure the three points.” The Way Ahead: Practicality What appears called for is a pragmatic solution – with better ball control, a engine room capable of dictating the tempo, and a pragmatic willingness to occasionally accept a point. Yet, a determination to compete on every fronts is pushing thin player numbers to their limit. This might appear unthinkable to some, but a different approach in the cup competitions earlier could have eased the present schedule pile-up. Amid vital European and Premier League matches on the agenda, the imperative to carefully prioritize is becoming increasingly obvious. Eddie Howe acknowledged the size of the challenge remaining. “Being at a club of this size, the pressures are immense. Each game is pivotal. We have work to do in the league. We are in the League Cup semi-finals, we aim to go through in the Champions League and perform in the FA Cup. “The direction is in the right direction, but we have lots of improvement to do to become the consistently successful side we aspire to be. Our capacity to string together sequences of victories has deserted us this season. “The objective is to reach that standard we know we're able to reach. The internal belief is that the confidence to do that is growing. Yet nowadays we have to demonstrate it. It ain't all bad right now, but the next few weeks will shape a great deal.”