I don’t know how many times we can say ‘something has to change’ but it really does | OneFootball

Last week, I wrote an article where I highlighted three points of criticism for Newcastle United and Eddie Howe based on the last couple of months.

And again, I feel as though they have proven to be accurate, apart from one.

To recap what I said; 1) Eddie’s loyalty will cost him 2) Bruno, Longstaff and Miley don’t work and 3) There’s no plan B.

Before I go any further, I cannot stress enough that I did not think Newcastle United would get a result on Saturday night.

Not because I am pessimistic, but because Arsenal are an incredibly good team, with that being said, I certainly did not expect that poor of a performance.

Reiterating the points I made a week ago.

The 4-3-3 has not been working for months and our midfield three do not work. And yet, we continue to play the same formation.

Tonight against Arsenal, it was possibly the worst showing yet. Our midfield was bullied. Technically we were horrendous.

Sloppy on the ball and poor going forward. I think I can count on one hand the amount of passes Miley and Longstaff made. Bruno was caught out multiple times, partially because he does the work of three players. Credit to Arsenal though, as they were fantastic.

After going 2-0 down relatively quickly, I expected some kind of change. I expected to be more defensive. However, we continued to play 4-3-3. Nothing changed.

As the game went on, we predictably made our substitutions shortly after the hour mark, which as always are like for like. Now I am sure people will angrily say ‘we have injuries, what is he supposed to do?’

For me, it’s fairly simple. You protect the defence. Overload the midfield. Play with a flat 4/5. Play on the counter-attack. Use our pace. Play to our strengths. However, again, no plan B, no game plan, no change.

It is easy for me to say that and that’s probably why I am writing this rather than managing a team… but Eddie has to try something different.

We have conceded 12 goals in the last four Premier League games and 24 goals in the last eight premier league games. The one major change Eddie Howe did make was Tino Livramento for Dan Burn and sadly this did not work. Saka had an easy evening.

Despite all of the negativity, finding light in the dark and the only positive I have is seeing Willock back on the pitch. The difference he makes – his pace, his technical ability, the all around midfield athlete with an end product. I cannot express my happiness in seeing a player driving forward from midfield with pace and intent and a forward pass (God, we miss Joelinton!).

I don’t know how many times we can say ‘something has to change’ but it really does.

We can not keep on going forward conceding as many goals.

However, with all that having been said, we are 8th, seven points off top six. There is still plenty of time.

I still love Eddie and I still think we’ll come good again.

Stats via BBC Sport:

Arsenal 4 Newcastle 1 – Saturday 24 February 2024 8pm:

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Willock 84

Arsenal:

Botman OG 18, Havertz 24, Saka 65, Kiwior 69

Possession was Arsenal 55% Newcastle 45%

Total shots were Arsenal 18 Newcastle 3

Shots on target were Arsenal 8 Newcastle 2

Corners were Arsenal 9 Newcastle 0

Referee: Paul Tierney

Attendance: 60,298 (3,000 Newcastle)

Newcastle team v Bournemouth:

Karius, Trippier, Schar, Botman (Lascelles 73), Livramento (Burn 73), Longstaff, Guimaraes (Willock 73), Miley, Almiron (Murphy 64), Gordon, Isak (Barnes 64)

Unused subs:

Gillespie, Ritchie, Krafth, Hall

(Arsenal 4 Newcastle 1 – Match ratings and comments on all Newcastle United players – Read HERE)

(Arsenal 4 Newcastle 1 – Instant Newcastle United fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)

(Arsenal 4 Newcastle 1 – A bad night at the office must be followed by a better one in Blackburn – Read HERE)

Newcastle United confirmed matches to end of March 2024:

Tuesday 27 February 2024 – Blackburn v Newcastle (7.45pm) BBC1

Saturday 2 March 2024 – Newcastle v Wolves (3pm)

Monday 11 March 2024 – Chelsea v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 16 March 2024 – Crystal Palace v Newcastle (3pm) ***If Newcastle beat Blackburn, NUFC will be playing in FA Cup sixth round this weekend instead.