Alan Shearer is worried that this Newcastle United team is going stale.
The Toon legend was furious on Saturday as Newcastle United lost 4-2 to Brentford.
The Magpies were on the back of a brilliant performance against Liverpool, but were unable to follow it up at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Eddie Howe’s side were massively disappointing at the weekend, with Alan Shearer criticising Newcastle’s defending.
After a decent opening 45 minutes, Newcastle United were a mess. It was a really concerning performance, and Shearer is starting to worry after seeing his side suffer another defeat.
Alan Shearer TV presenter & former footballer looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between Arsenal FC and F...
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Alan Shearer unhappy with what Newcastle United are doing
Shearer spoke about Newcastle’s problems on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, after Gary Lineker admitted that his Match Of The Day colleague was very ‘grumpy’ on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m slightly worried about what I’m seeing from Newcastle,” he said.
“I know they were brilliant against Liverpool. They were really competitive, edgy, had energy and everything. But you can’t just turn up in those big games. That’s what Newcastle are doing and I don’t like the look of that. It doesn’t sit easy with me.
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“You can’t get away with not working at home in front of your own fans against the big teams. Their results against Man City – draw, beat Arsenal, Liverpool – draw, they beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, beat Tottenham at home. Big games at home, you have to turn up at St James’ Park, otherwise the fans won’t accept it.
“But you can’t do what they did at the weekend. You can’t not work hard. Defensively they were a shambles against Brentford. I know they’ve got really good players up front at Brentford with Mbeumo and Wissa. They’re really good and exciting, but the way Newcastle defended and the lack of energy and pressing didn’t sit easy with me.”
Shearer looks forward to Newcastle’s next three games
Newcastle cannot just play well at home against the ‘big six’. While it is great that we can be a match for the Premier League’s biggest teams, it counts for nothing if Howe’s side continuously fail to deliver against the rest of the division.
Newcastle United are under immense pressure to turn around their form, as they prepare for three pivotal games.
For Shearer, this is a ‘huge’ run of fixtures.
“Their next three games are huge games,” he said.
“They’ve got Leicester at home at the weekend. They’ve got Brentford in the quarter-final at home. Then they’ve got Ipswich away. The next three games are huge.
“They have to get back to what Newcastle were 18 months ago. Remember when we were talking about their energy and their high pressing? It hasn’t happened enough this season and it feels as if it’s on the edge of being stale. That has to improve.”
St James’ Park double-header can save Newcastle
These next three games are absolutely massive, and Newcastle will be grateful that two of them are at home. While they are under pressure, a fast start at St James’ Park will give the players a real lift.
And if they can respond to the Brentford debacle with a win over Leicester and progress in the Carabao Cup then they will be much more confident going into the away game at Ipswich Town.
As Shearer says, Newcastle need to improve. They need to go back to their roots. Howe’s side have become a bit of a soft touch, after being so difficult to beat a couple of years ago. There is nothing mean about this Newcastle team, and that needs to change.
The pressure is on ahead of a pivotal run of games.
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