Bruno Guimaraes and Eddie Howe
Bruno Guimaraes and Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe spoke ahead of the 4-2 defeat at Brentford about not wanting teams to 'enjoy playing against us'. However, in truth, too many sides have. Unless you are a so-called big hitter, that is.
Newcastle United, after all, have impressively gone toe-to-toe with the very best at St James' Park this season - taking a point off league leaders Liverpool and champions Manchester City; defeating Arsenal and Spurs; and knocking Chelsea out of the cup - but the black-and-whites have only picked up three measly points in games versus Brentford, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Brighton, Everton, Fulham and Bournemouth. That is troubling.
Although Brentford have the best home record in the league, Newcastle should have travelled to the Gtech Community Stadium with renewed belief following the aforementioned 3-3 draw against Liverpool on Wednesday night. The best sides build on such a result, regardless of a quick turnaround, and this was a chance for Newcastle to underline their credentials against Brentford, whose previous home wins had only come against teams currently in the bottom half.
Only 12th-placed Newcastle are, statistically, a bottom-half team right now - winning five, drawing five and losing five - and you have to go back to September, 2023 for the last time Howe's team won three league matches on the spin. Just as Newcastle are capable of scoring three goals against Liverpool and of shutting out Arsenal in a superb 1-0 win, the inconsistent Magpies can also lose 3-1 at Fulham, 2-0 at home against West Ham and 4-2 at Brentford.
There can be no doubt that this side, which has not been strengthened in either of the last two windows, needs reinforcing. That was clear even before a run of two wins in 11 league games and before Newcastle shipped 10 goals in four matches.
However, in contrast to a sticky winter a year ago, Newcastle have not been ravaged by a series of injuries while the black-and-whites have no European commitments. Yet there was little evidence of the intensity, solidity and quality we associate with Howe's team at their very best on Saturday.
Not many of these Brentford players would have got into Newcastle's starting line-up or even made the bench, but the visitors were never truly in control of this game. Although Newcastle twice recovered to draw level after going behind in the first half, the Magpies did not have an answer when Brentford went 3-2 up - even though there was still more than half an hour to play.
Howe was able to call upon substitutes like Kieran Trippier, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson, who can still affect games from the bench, even when they are not 100% match fit, but Newcastle became increasingly ragged and never looked like levelling for a third time. It was rather telling that Newcastle failed to even test Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken in the second half before Kevin Schade sealed the win for the hosts in stoppage time.
Thomas Frank was hardly speaking out of turn when the Brentford boss said it was a 'deserved' victory. Howe admitted Newcastle 'fell apart' after Brentford's third while Bruno Guimaraes sighed that the Magpies 'became a mess' after the break. "Our season, being honest, has been very, very disappointing," the captain told NUFC TV.
Bruno Guimaraes could not hide his frustration
To think Newcastle had seemingly signalled their intent when Sean Longstaff's thunderbolt from the edge of the area crashed off the crossbar inside two minutes. However, it was not necessarily a sign of things to come. Newcastle were soon behind.
Christian Norgaard had the freedom of the park to pick out Bryan Mbeumo on an afternoon the Brentford star, an ideal solution out on the right, caught the eye in front of watching Newcastle chiefs. Mbeumo danced his way into the box, skipping away from Lewis Hall and Joelinton, and rifled the ball into the net.
This was never going to finish 1-0, though, not with these teams' leaky defences, and Newcastle drew level just a few minutes later. Jacob Murphy let fly from outside the box and there was Alexander Isak, lurking, to divert the ball into the net with a diving header. Isak immediately grabbed the ball - leading his team-mates back to the centre circle for the restart - and the Sweden international soon had the chance to put the visitors in front.
Nathan Collins looked to have dealt with Fabian Schar's long ball down the right channel in the 19th minute, but the aggressive Isak dispossessed the Brentford captain and raced through on goal. The angle was tight, but Isak coolly rounded Mark Flekken, only to take an additional touch that allowed the Brentford goalkeeper to recover and claw the ball away.
It felt like a big moment but even if Isak had scored, and Newcastle took the lead for the first time on Saturday, you would not have bet on the visitors holding out and Howe's team shot themselves in the foot before the half-hour mark. The ball was a long way from Newcastle's goal when Harvey Barnes attempted to play a risky cross field pass to Fabian Schar only to instead tee up Yoane Wissa. Wissa still had a lot to do, 30 yards from goal, but Fabian Schar and Dan Burn back peddled, inviting him to shoot, and the Brentford star did not need a second invitation as he fired Bees back in front.
However, as was the case at 1-0, Brentford were not ahead for long. Newcastle drew level just four minutes later after Murphy pulled the ball back across the box and there was Barnes to atone for his error and fire the ball into the bottom corner.
Harvey Barnes makes it 2-2 against Brentford
It looked like the game was there for Newcastle if the Magpies could tighten up after the break, but the visitors did not turn up in the second half. Wissa fired an early warning shot, which Pope pawed on to the bar, but still Newcastle failed to awaken from their slumber and Brentford got back in front before the hour mark.
Flekken pumped the ball forward from a free-kick deep in Brentford's half and Schar failed to get his head to it. The ball bounced inside the box and there was Collins to volley Brentford ahead.
Howe turned to his stacked bench, but a Tonali header, which sailed over the bar, was as close as the visitors came to drawing level late on. Brentford ultimately sealed all three points in stoppage time after Mbeumo turned away from Schar and slipped in substitute Kevin Schade, who deftly lifted the ball over Pope. There was no coming back from that.