I agree with Eddie Howe – Danny Murphy

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The Mag

·3 December 2024

I agree with Eddie Howe – Danny Murphy

Danny Murphy has been talking about Newcastle United.

The BBC Sport pundit discussing Eddie Howe and his players.

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Danny Murphy declaring ‘Their football through the lines and out from the back is really good, I agree with Eddie Howe. They are getting themselves in good positions but their quality players, at the top end of the pitch, are really struggling.’

It is more complicated than it first appears.

These last two games against West Ham and Palace have seen Newcastle United manage just two efforts on target and have scored just the one goal, plus that was the Marc Guehi own goal.

Yet before these two matches, Eddie Howe’s team put in three great performances and got three excellent wins.

They looked full of goal threat as they won 2-0 against Chelsea in the cup and then went to Forest who had only conceded three goals in five PL home matches, yet United won 3-1 and Forest lucky to lose just by two.

In between those two wins, the victory over second in the table Arsenal didn’t see a lot of chances but Newcastle had more than the visitors AND scored a goal of very high quality. A superb delivery from Anthony Gordon and what a header by Alexander Isak.

So much inconsistency in the Premier League this season, every club experiences big ups and downs with the exception of Liverpool, though even they lost 1-0 at home to Forest.

Danny Murphy speaking to BBC Sport in the aftermath of Newcastle’s 16th games of the season, that 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace:

“Newcastle United are really struggling in the final third.

“Their football through the lines and out from the back is really good, I agree with Eddie Howe.

“They are getting themselves in good positions but their quality players, at the top end of the pitch, are really struggling.

“It’s all about the final pass – it isn’t always about a technical thing.

“I think it is often a decision-making thing at the top end of the pitch.

“It’s about when to release the ball and when to pass.

“Some of their deliveries from outside of the box are really poor and lazy.

“They also get caught with only two players in the box.

“We have seen Newcastle be dynamic and score lots of goals but this is far cry from it.

“There just feels like there is no one there and when they do get in, it’s about whether they can pick the right pass.

“It is so unlike these players.