Another week, another away defeat for Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The West Ham performance last weekend was unacceptable. Newcastle United were terrible against the Hammers, which in turn put them under even more pressure against Brentford.
They were unable to cope with that pressure, with Newcastle losing away to Brentford to continue their record of zero Premier League wins on the road this season.
Yet again, Eddie Howe’s side were poor. They did not deserve to win, with the Newcastle United squad letting themselves down in the capital for the second week running.
But after the disappointment of West Ham, why did Eddie Howe barely change his starting XI?
Eddie Howe looks dejected after Newcastle United's loss to Brentford.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Eddie Howe barely changed the XI that embarrassed themselves against West Ham
When team news dropped on Sunday afternoon, it was confirmed that Newcastle had made just one change to the team that beat Athletic Club. That change was enforced, with Jacob Murphy coming in for the injured Anthony Gordon.
From the team that started against West Ham last weekend, nine of those players retained their place in the starting XI. Kieran Trippier and Harvey Barnes were the only two amendments, despite Howe boasting enough depth to make serious changes.
Jacob Ramsey or Joe Willock could have come into midfield. You had Anthony Elanga in reserve as an attacking option. Fabian Schar could have been a fresh face at centre-back. Dan Burn had another disaster at left-back, all the while Lewis Hall was sitting there on the bench.
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Instead, the majority of the team that failed against West Ham were given yet another chance. Unfortunately, it was a chance that they massively squandered.
Newcastle United showed Brentford too much respect
It is easy to understand why Howe decided to start the likes of Dan Burn and Joelinton given their height. Brentford are a hugely physical side that rely on set pieces, particularly long throws.
But in that sense, did Newcastle give Brentford too much respect? While you should be aware of another team’s talents, it felt like the Magpies were too concerned with stopping Brentford than playing their own game.
As an attacking outfit, Newcastle were terrible against Brentford. They were terrible against West Ham too, seemingly devoid of ideas on how to score goals.
While Eddie Howe knows better than most, it feels like the Newcastle United manager needs to focus more on his own team’s strengths rather than the opposition’s.