Eddie Howe is in trouble

How outrageous is it to measure the intensity of the Premier League? The team currently ranked sixth in the Champions League is only ranked 14th in the English League! This is not a fantasy, but Newcastle's real situation this season. Although they will have to compete against Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain in the away games, they may not be able to secure sixth place in the Champions League group stage, but counterattacking the quarter-finals like Aston Villa is not a fantasy; they ranked fifth in the Premier League last season, and their final ranking will never be so low - after all, they were also ranked 12th in early December 2024, and finally qualified for the Champions League.

But today's Tyneside is no longer the iron-blooded fortress it used to be. Newcastle may be able to complain about the devilish schedule: there were 6 away games in the first 11 rounds, and two home games were defeated by last season's champions and runner-up. They both lost in injury time. But the recent performance is even more incomprehensible: against West Ham United and Brentford in away games, they led twice but collapsed 1-3. This kind of "warmth" operation is really eye-catching. Although they defeated Athletic Bilbao and locked in the quarterfinals of the League Cup, this start has already made the fans sweat.

The £125 million transfer has become a key variable in the direction of the season - Isaac's departure is simply a "disaster" for Newcastle! The absence of the Swedish striker directly caused the team's offensive failure: they only scored 11 goals in 11 rounds. Compared with two seasons ago (ranked seventh but scored 85 goals), they are completely different teams.

When the offensive end is collectively weak, Walter Mader, who was introduced for a record 69 million pounds, has scored 4 goals and is the only consolation for the team. But the embarrassing thing is that he scored 4 goals in only 4 shots on target in the Premier League. Although his efficiency is high, his participation is too low. Newcastle adjusted their tactics around the tall German man, but could not find a rhythm - after all, building a team that revolves around a "no speed forward" is a problem in itself. And Visa, who is supposed to be a supplement to the striker, although he is worth a lot of money and is suitable for the Premier League, he has not been able to make an appearance so far, and there is a high probability that he will not be able to make his debut against Manchester City on Saturday.

What is more fatal than Walter Mader's running-in problem is the collective hip stretch of the wingers. The introduction of Elanga for 52 million pounds was purely "mismatched": the performance against San Giros United in the Champions League was the only highlight, and now the main position has been taken away by the seemingly mediocre but more efficient Jacob Murphy. Gordon is even more outrageous, with zero goals and zero assists in half a Premier League season (19 games). Although the Champions League scorer list is closely followed by Kane, Haaland, and Mbappe, when it comes to the Premier League, he either wastes opportunities or receives a red card and is suspended. He is completely like a "Champions League dragon and a Premier League bug." Although Harvey Barnes broke the scoring streak at Brentford, Eddie Howe struggled for most of the season and was still unable to put together a reliable striker trident.

The combination that was touted as the "best midfielder in the Premier League" a few months ago has now become a problem. Joelinton's condition has plummeted. Although Guimarães is the only fig leaf among the three, his chemical reaction with Joelinton and Tonali is no longer as good as before; coupled with the long-term absence of important signing Jacob Ramsey, the midfielder's offensive and defensive transition is completely messed up - is this combination of both physical and technical skills really going to be split?

With a total investment of 250 million pounds (half of which was recovered through the sale of players), only Walter Mader and Diaou can now spend. Howe's recruitment strategy has been criticized for being "too partial to the British". These two German players (continuing the overseas recruitment ideas of Isaac, Tonali and Guimarães) are the key to making up for the shortcomings. The central defender combination of Diaou and Botman has high hopes - after all, Newcastle's average starting age is the fourth oldest in the Premier League this season, and the lineup update cannot be delayed.

But the full-back position was in trouble again: Dan Byrne was originally a central defender and a guest left-back. The red card in the Brentford game completely exposed his wing shortcomings. However, it is a blessing in disguise that his suspension may allow Lewis Hall to return to the starting lineup; Hall and Liveramento were Newcastle's future full-back twins, but they have been absent for a long time due to injuries. The team's transition to the new lineup has been a bumpy road.

What’s worse is that there are hidden dangers in every position of the team. Goalkeeper Pope was able to keep a clean sheet against the savior at the beginning of the season, but he has made consecutive mistakes in the past two games. Against Manchester City on Saturday, the concussion problem may give Ramsdale an opportunity. Howe is now in a dilemma: should he trust his past heroes to maintain the continuity of the lineup, or should he use new players to "scratches the bones and cure the poison"? After all, the team fell to 14th place. The answer is already self-evident as to who should take the blame, the old team or the new players.

Howe's coaching career has never been short of "turnaround" scripts - Newcastle suffered a losing streak at the end of 2023, and was stuck in the bottom half of the standings 11 months ago, but was able to rebound strongly in the end. This team has potential, but they just haven't found the winning formula yet. But the reality is cruel: in the four home games before Christmas, three of the opponents were strong teams in the Premier League and Champions League. However, Howe only scored 2 points out of 54 possible points against Manchester City in his coaching career, which can be called the "sufferer of Manchester City."

What’s even more terrible is that this season, Newcastle are “experts in foreign wars, but outsiders in civil wars”—they can beat the Belgian team in away games, but it is difficult to win away games in the Premier League; next they have to challenge Everton, Sunderland, and Manchester United. These three teams have only lost 2 games at home this season. Can Newcastle bottom out and rebound? In Hao's 250 million-dollar team, who can stand up and lead the team out of trouble? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!