Premier League side Newcastle United are already facing relegation threats this early in the season. With Aton Villa getting a draw, the Magpies dropped to the 18th spot on the log. Despite hosting struggling Brighton & Hove Albion next, going away to Leicester City and then facing Manchester United and Chelsea, there are no sure hopes of picking any point in the next four games.
Under former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez, Newcastle finished in the 10th and 13th position at the end of the season. It seems those mid-table finishes made the fans and management forget that they were nowhere there, and required substantial urgent investment like the Spaniard asked for.
While the team itself is not that poor, it has to do with morale, creating enough chances to get goals, and getting the team to play consistent attacking football. It is obvious that the team is going to be amongst the last six on the log, it is the push from the team that will keep them afloat when the music stops in May.
While they have faced tough opponents from the Top Six, the hammering might affect them. Improvements are expected when they face other teams but the fundamentals are not yet in place enough. Newcastle had 8.3 shots, low possession per game and they have scored just four times. Aside just blaming the priced forward Joelington – who historically isn’t a high scoring forward – the issues are system-wide.
Steve Bruce needs to figure out quickly how to get the team in dangerous areas, develop strategies when they face different kinds of opponents or are in tricky situations, and get the machineries working again, else the Championship beckons.
