Newcastle are learning the hard way about what it takes to deliver on multiple fronts at a domestic level while competing in the Champions League.
Their form isn’t good – one win in seven. They’re mid-table in the Premier League which is clearly not where they want to be, and getting further away from the top five, seven points adrift.
It’s going to get harder and harder too as the fixture schedule is relentless with six matches in the next 17 days.
After Brentford at home on the weekend, they go to Tottenham, to Aston Villa in the FA Cup and then embark on a 5,000-mile round trip to Baku to play Qarabag, with Manchester City away in the Premier League sandwiched in between.
They’re in the middle of a 45-day spell with 14 games and tiredness is creeping in because of the schedule.
Eddie Howe tries not to talk about that too much because it can get into the players’ heads and it’s a really difficult situation as one leads into the other.
It was interesting what Howe said after the Carabao Cup second-leg defeat at Man City that he was annoyed with the performance and the fact that they pride themselves on being defensively organised.
He doesn’t usually criticise his players like that, but he must’ve been unhappy with what he saw – the tie was effectively over after 10 minutes.
I understand why he got his team to press high, they had to give it a go with it being a cup tie. Perhaps he didn’t quite have the right personnel to, and in the right physical shape, to carry out the plan.
But he also spoke about what they need to do moving forward which is to protect the players’ confidence – and they need to.
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Eddie Howe shares his disappointment as Newcastle’s run of defending their Carabao Cup title came to an end, after a 5-1 on aggerate defeat to Manchester City in their semi-final clash.
They don’t have a squad as strong as Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal, and that’s costing them.
Most of the Newcastle squad also aren’t used to the relentlessness of the schedule. It’s something that players get used to and Newcastle are still in the learning phase of that.
Watching the Man City game, when they had those chances early on through Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon, I felt there was a lack of belief when they were clean through on goal. It was the complete opposite for Manchester City in how Omar Marmoush took his two goals.
The goal opened up for Newcastle and they didn’t take their chances. I think part of that is a confidence issue, which makes Howe’s claim that they need to protect the players’ confidence interesting.
However, if they get a win against Brentford on Saturday, that will help, but the fixtures are coming thick and fast.
What hasn’t helped has been the relative failure of last summer’s new signings to hit the ground running. Only Malick Thiaw can be considered a success.
The other four signings, Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey and Anthony Elanga, totalled £220m. It’s a lot of money considering the output thus far.
Perhaps Elanga’s goal on Wednesday, his first since arriving for £55m from Nottingham Forest, can give Howe and his squad some much-needed hope that better times are around the corner.
Howe says if they want to be playing in Europe and they want to be playing high-level football every year, they need to qualify for the Champions League regularly – and they’re going to have to get used to it.
Newcastle’s February fixtures
Saturday: Newcastle vs Brentford – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports
February 10: Tottenham vs Newcastle – Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm
February 14: Aston Villa vs Newcastle – FA Cup fourth round, kick-off 5.45pm
February 18: Qarabag vs Newcastle – Champions League play-off first leg, kick-off 5.45pm
February 21: Man City vs Newcastle – Premier League, kick-off 8pm
February 24: Newcastle vs Qarabag – Champions League play-off second leg, kick-off 8pm
February 28: Newcastle vs Everton – Premier League, kick-off 3pm
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
