Alan Shearer tells BBC Sport where Newcastle United are now at | OneFootball

Alan Shearer has been talking about Newcastle United.

The NUFC legend speaking about the club he has supported as man and boy.

The club Alan Shearer also scored a ‘few’ goals for.

Newcastle United have had an action packed season, with plenty highs and also some lows.

Having started with a dominant 5-1 Tonali inspired victory over Aston Villa, you then have five defeats that have a twelve match run of only one loss sandwiched in between them.

That trio of losses to Man City, Liverpool and Brighton in late August / early September, followed by two defeats this past week to Dortmund and Bournemouth. In between those defeats though, an astonishing run of 12 games that featured eight wins, eight clean sheets and only the one defeat (home to Dortmund), those dozen matches seeing thirty goals scored and six conceded.

However, as Alan Shearer says after these most recent two defeats in the past week ‘…at the moment it looks like fighting on three fronts has caught up with them.’

The NUFC legend declaring ‘Newcastle need a lift.’

I wouldn’t disagree with any of that but fair to say that whilst the busy schedule has of course played a part in running out of steam in these last two games / defeats, the biggest of all factors has been a list of missing players in terms of both quantity and quality, that is unprecedented in Newcastle United history. Fact is as well, most of the absences are nothing to do with fatigue of playing so many matches, instead it has been a case of freak injuries (Botman, Barnes, Murphy, Burn, Targett etc etc) with a ban (Tonali) or suspension (Bruno) thrown in for good measure.

Alan Shearer says Newcastle United need a lift and in reality it is actually only 10 days since Eddie Howe’s team played so well and deservedly defeated Arsenal, only 13 days since a completely changed team went to Old Trafford and hammered Man U.

Bruno is now back from suspension, Isak is expected to return for the Chelsea match after the international break, exciting teenager Lewis Miley is now back and available after glandular fever, if one or two others are also able to emerge from the treatment room as we near the end of November, Newcastle United could be ready to rise again.

Alan Shearer speaking to BBC Sport about where Newcastle United are now at – 13 November 2023:

“Newcastle need a lift.

“Saturday’s defeat at Bournemouth was their first in the league since 2 September but it looked a game too far for them, and they were not anywhere near their best.

“Eddie Howe’s side have got a lot of injuries and suspensions to contend with but they did not deserve anything against the Cherries, who were the better team from start to finish.

“Newcastle looked really flat and very tired and they probably need the international break more than anyone in terms of resting some players and getting others back to fitness.

“It was always going to be a big ask for them to cope with Champions League football and challenge for the top four again.

“They are still giving it a good go, and have reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals too, but at the moment it looks like fighting on three fronts has caught up with them.”