Where the Newcastle United performances are falling short – Time for a reset

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The Mag

·19 October 2024

Where the Newcastle United performances are falling short – Time for a reset

After yet another unconvincing Newcastle United performance, today ending Newcastle 0 Brighton 1, our team has not reached the potential of what they can achieve.

The team is not faltering because of individual errors alone, fault lies with everyone, collectively.

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As we enter a crucial phase of the season, it’s clear that certain patterns, decisions, and attitudes need to be revisited. Loyalty and potential can only carry a team so far—sometimes a hard reset is needed.

Considering the number of scouts recruited last season, it’s disappointing that the best addition we could manage was Osula… and even that seems to be the result of a recommendation from Jason Tindall.

This is not a knock on the young forward’s potential, but it’s troubling that, despite our expanded scouting network, our recruitment pipeline feels underwhelming.

There’s no questioning Eddie Howe’s contribution to Newcastle’s recent rise. However, managers must evolve, especially when the team hits stumbling blocks, and right now, Howe’s stubbornness and loyalty are becoming a double-edged sword. His reluctance to shake things up, whether through formation changes or personnel rotation, is costing us momentum.

Loyalty is admirable but when it blinds decision-making, it becomes a liability. Some players are being backed based on last season’s performances, not their current form. When you refuse to bench underperformers, it sends the wrong message to the squad: that a starting spot can be earned once and kept indefinitely, regardless of output. Howe has earned our trust, but he now needs to repay it by making brave calls, even if it means upsetting the dressing room.

A broader tactical question emerges: why sign fast, direct players if we’re not going to utilise their strengths? This team was built to be dangerous in transition, yet we’re stuck in first gear, moving the ball slowly and predictably. It’s a mismatch of ideas, fast players paired with a sluggish, laborious midfield. The result? A recipe for disaster.

Instead of playing to our strengths with quick counters and vertical movement, we often get bogged down in sideways passing and overcomplicated build-ups. By the time the ball reaches our attackers, the opposition has already reset defensively. Pace is meaningless without urgency, and unless we align our midfield movement with the speed and directness of our forwards, we’ll continue to squander opportunities.

This disconnect isn’t just stifling our attack, it’s also inviting pressure on the backline. Transitions should be a weapon, not a chore, and until we rediscover that explosiveness, we’ll struggle to unlock defences and capitalise on the pace in our squad.

Bruno Guimaraes epitomises Newcastle’s current dilemma. On paper, he remains one of our most talented players, but football isn’t played on paper. I’ve said before that Bruno should only start if his performances justify it, not out of loyalty to last season’s achievements. Yet here we are, week after week, watching a player who seems stuck in a comfort zone, struggling to impose himself on games.

Every time Bruno gets the ball, it’s the same predictable routine, a one-two with Joelinton, rarely a penetrative pass or a switch to unlock defences. The creativity that once defined him has faded. How often do we see him deliver a defence-splitting pass like he used to? His influence is waning, and even Brazil have taken notice, benching him in recently. That decision is telling, it signals that his standing on the global stage is slipping. Newcastle can’t afford to overlook this. If Bruno doesn’t rediscover his sharpness soon, Howe will have no choice but to reconsider his role in the starting eleven.

Joelinton has built a reputation as both the muscle and the brain of the midfield, balancing power with composure. But that balance seems off now. His energy, instead of driving the team forward, is being burned up in needless duels with opponents. If we’re to get the most out of him, he needs to regain his focus and composure, leaving the petty battles behind and getting back to what makes him effective, which is controlling the midfield, driving forward, and supporting the attack.

This squad was once known for its intensity and physicality but both have dulled recently. When we come up against more streetwise teams, they fall over at the slightest contact, neutralising our physical advantage. What’s more frustrating is that the intensity that once defined us, the relentless pressing, the hunger to win second balls, has disappeared.

It feels like the players are trying to walk the ball into the net rather than take decisive actions. We seem hesitant, slow in transitions, and often stuck playing predictable, horizontal passes. Without creativity and quick thinking, the team’s physical prowess means little. Power alone won’t win matches in a league where tactical finesse is just as important.

This squad needs a jolt, a hard reset to rediscover its edge. Some players are carrying big reputations but small outputs, and they need to know that nobody is undroppable. It might be time to leave a few of the bigger egos on the bench and bring in grafters, the players who’ll do the dirty work without complaint.

This isn’t about tearing everything down, it’s about understanding that success isn’t a straight path. We need to strip things back to basics: simplify the tactics, restore intensity, and reignite the hunger that drove us in the first place.

In our first full season under Howe, we thrived on resilience and defensive solidity. Last season, we complemented that with clinical goal-scoring, but this season, we’ve lost sight of both. Our defence feels fragile, our attack lacks the edge to put games to bed. If we’re going to get back on track, we need to rediscover those core qualities that made us hard to beat and dangerous to face.

It’s okay to take a step back to move forward, but the reset must happen now, waiting too long risks letting this slump set in.

There’s no need to panic but there is a need for urgency.

The foundations of success are still there but cracks are forming, they need to be addressed before they widen.

Eddie Howe’s next steps will define the trajectory of this season, either he makes the tough calls, or we risk drifting. Change is uncomfortable but it’s also necessary.

This team has too much potential to let it go to waste. It’s time to reset, refocus, rebuild momentum.

Newcastle 0 Brighton 1 – Saturday 19 October 3pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Brighton:

Welbeck 35

Possession was Newcastle 60% Brighton 40%

Total shots were Newcastle 21 Brighton 10

Shots on target were Newcastle 6 Brighton 5

Corners were Newcastle 9 Brighton 4

Touches in the box Newcastle 45 Brighton 12

Newcastle United team v Brighton:

Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall (Osula 90+2), Joelinton, Bruno (Almiron 85), Tonali (Willock 65), Gordon (Longstaff 85), Jacob Murphy (Barnes 65), Isak

UNUSED SUBS:

Krafth, Kelly, Lewis Miley, Vlachodimos

(Matches like this prove which Newcastle United fans have a clue and who are clueless – Read HERE)

(Newcastle 0 Brighton 1 – Instant Newcastle United fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)

Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:

Sunday 27 October – Chelsea v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Wednesday 30 October – Newcastle v Chelsea (7.45pm) Sky Sports+

Saturday 2 November – Newcastle v Arsenal (12.30pm) TNT Sports

Sunday 10 November – Forest v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Monday 25 November – Newcastle v West Ham (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 30 November – Crystal Palace v Newcastle

Wednesday 4 December – Newcastle v Liverpool (7.30pm) Amazon