It is hard to believe that Newcastle United could have gone top of the Premier League on Saturday. Instead, they lost 3-1 to Fulham with arguably their worst performance of the season so far.
All together, Newcastle performed far worse. On their own, there were some awful performances. Alexander Isak was again essentially anonymous, and Anthony Gordon was a source of great frustration. Bruno Guimaraes, however, carried on with his unsettling season opener.
Newcastle United is currently dealing with a number of problems, and Alan Shearer has pinpointed one of the main ones for the Magpies.
In the most recent edition of the podcast The Rest Is Football, Gary Lineker questioned Alan Shearer about what the current issue at Newcastle United is.
“What Newcastle did really well last season and the season before was they overpowered teams,” he remarked.
Teams were under pressure. They targeted groups. We spoke about their vitality and fitness nonstop.
This season, I haven’t really seen that. When playing Fulham, they appeared exhausted. They appeared quite worn out and sluggish. Too many players who are not up to grade. I would be concerned about that throughout this season.
“It was prevalent both in the previous and current seasons. I haven’t yet noticed the heightened intensity, pressure, and violence of this season. That warrants attention.
I haven’t really seen that this season. They looked worn out when they played Fulham. They seemed quite tired and lethargic. There are far too many subpar players. That is something that would worry me all season.
It was a common occurrence in both the past and present seasons. The increased ferocity, urgency, and intensity of this season haven’t yet registered with me. That is something that needs to be addressed.
Newcastle doesn’t appear to be able to press. Any effort to do so is a clumsy replica of their former selves. A major contributing factor to the high percentage of below-bar players on the Magpies is their inexperience.
The top three players for Newcastle are Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon, and Alexander Isak. They don’t seem to be close to reaching their physical peak or reaching their potential as football players.
When you consider how intense Howe’s players once were, you can clearly see that they are missing in energy these days.
That may have been done purposefully in part because Howe was told to lessen the physical demands of regular training by James Bunce, the performance director. Newcastle wants to reach their physical best when it’s most appropriate, yet they look
In order to bolster Newcastle United’s striker corps, the 21-year-old left Sheffield United in the summer for a reported £15 million.
But, it appeared earlier in the transfer window that Newcastle might have spent big money on a more seasoned striker, since Callum Wilson was rumoured to be leaving.
In the end, Callum Wilson remained at St James’ Park for the 2024–2025 season, and Osula signed as a youthful backup instead of taking his spot.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was linked to Newcastle for a deal of £40 million, however the club withdrew the offer, probably because of worries about Profit and Sustainability Rules.
There will be conflicting feelings in Newcastle on the postponement.
On the one hand, it allows the team to heal, train, and rest for a few more days before Manchester City, the defending Premier League winners, visit the area.
Rodri could not be able to play at St. James’ Park, it’s unknown.
Given how important he is to Manchester City’s style of play, this poses a serious challenge for them. On Sunday, they looked good early on against Arsenal, but after Rodri was substituted, everything began to change.
Eddie Howe also faces difficulties in that region of the game, so Guardiola may have to rely on his plenty of midfield players if he is forced to return to playing without Rodri.
Newcastle just can’t seem to find the ideal midfield balance. It was a mistake to start Joe Willock against Fulham, and Joelinton had yet another very unpleasant afternoon.
Bruno Guimaraes is still having trouble leading the team. Bruno expressed regret for
