What can Newcastle do to turn things around when the domestic programme resumes after the international break?
**GET INJURED PLAYERS BACK**
Newcastle have missed injured left-back Lewis Hall _(Image: PA Wire)_
Injuries have severely hampered Newcastle in the first three months of the season, most notably in the full-back positions and attack.
The Magpies have badly missed Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, with their absence depriving Eddie Howe of the thrusting attacking runs from deep-lying wide positions that were such a feature of his side’s attacking play last season.
Kieran Trippier remains a reliable right-back, but at 35, he is no longer able to drive forward in the way he did in the past. As a number of games have proved this season, Dan Burn is a fine centre-half, but he is not a natural left-back. Hall was a second-half substitute at Brentford, Livramento should also be available after the international break. Their return to full fitness cannot come soon enough.
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The same is true of Yoane Wissa, although given that the summer signing from Brentford has not played competitively since May, it remains to be seen how long it takes him to get back up to full speed. Howe understandably wants to be cautious, but Newcastle desperately need an alternative to Nick Woltemade. The concern with Wissa, of course, is that he recovers fitness just in time to head off with DR Congo for the Africa Cup of Nations.
**MAKE PERSONNEL CHANGES**
Jacob Ramsey's Newcastle chances have been limited so far _(Image: John Walton/PA)_
In some positions, most notably at centre-forward, Howe can claim that his hands have been tied. In others, though, his refusal to make changes has been detrimental to his side.
Why has he stuck with Burn as a left-back for so long when the defender’s lack of mobility and pace have been glaringly apparent? Could Hall not have been brought back in sooner? Could Trippier have been switched to the left, with Emil Krafth slotting in on the right?
And what about midfield, an area of the pitch where Howe does genuinely have options? Did he really think starting with Joelinton for the third time in eight days at Brentford was a good idea? The Brazilian has been running on empty for some time now, yet Howe continues to turn to him despite having Jacob Ramsey and Lewis Miley in reserve. The central-midfield trio of Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali was one of Newcastle’s biggest strengths last season. The same has not been true this term, yet Howe has been extremely reluctant to break it up.
One of the chief criticisms of the Newcastle boss is that he is too loyal to players who have performed well for him in the past. Loyalty is all well and good, but sometimes, a change is required.
**SWITCH FORMATION**
Eddie Howe issues some touchline instructions against Brentford _(Image: John Walton/PA)_
It’s not just the personnel that have remained unaltered for much of this season – Howe has also refused to switch formation despite a mounting body of evidence that suggests that opposition teams have worked out how to play against Newcastle.
Again, a lack of options in some positions has made it hard for Howe to be too experimental. But sticking rigidly to the same 4-3-3 system has made the Magpies far too predictable. Newcastle’s opponents have repeatedly targeted the space between United’s defence and midfield – the lack of a natural holding midfielder has been a weakness for a long time now – while Woltemade does not suit playing as the central striker in a front three.
With players due to return after the international break, might it be time for Howe to rip up his playbook and try something new? Could the return of Livramento and Hall nudge the Magpies boss towards a back five with wing-backs? When Wissa returns, would a front two work? Or what about a 4-2-3-1 formation with Woltemade playing as a ‘number ten’ off Wissa?
There might have to be a degree of trial and error at first, but sticking with the same formula is not working. At the very least, Howe should be prepared to be much more tactically flexible within a game.
**MAKE JANUARY SIGNINGS**
New Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson _(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA)_
Newcastle have tended to shy away from making too many January signings in the past. This year, however, it feels as though the mid-season transfer window could be crucial.
The Magpies need to freshen things up, and there are obvious areas that need reinforcing. Even with Wissa fit, the attack looks light. Will Osula remains a work in progress – Newcastle were ready to sell him to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer – so the addition of another forward would be beneficial, even if the type of deal the Magpies would ideally want will be extremely hard to pull off.
Signing a naturally defensive midfielder would enable Howe to be much more creative with his midfield set-up, while the last few months have illustrated the need for an athletic full-back, ideally capable of playing on either flank.
The sale of Alexander Isak has transformed Newcastle’s PSR position – with a new sporting director now in place, the club need to make the most of that in January.
**CHANGE HEAD COACH**
Eddie Howe _(Image: Adam Davy/PA Wire)_
The nuclear option – and not one that Newcastle are considering at the moment. That’s exactly how it should be. For all that their position in the Premier League is concerning, Newcastle are sixth in the Champions League standings and have a home Carabao Cup quarter-final against Fulham to look forward to next month.
Howe has built up a huge amount of credit in the bank thanks to his achievements since taking over on Tyneside in November 2021. He successfully steadied the ship in his first season in charge, when relegation was a distinct possibility, has qualified for the Champions League in two of the last three years and led Newcastle to their first domestic trophy in more than five decades last season.
This is not the time to even be contemplating a managerial change, and aside from the occasional lone voice on social media, no one is seriously suggesting Newcastle should be thinking about replacing Howe.
That said, though, even Howe himself would acknowledge that football is a results business. If – and at the moment, it remains a big if – Newcastle are dragged into a genuine relegation battle, Howe’s previous achievements will only buy him so much time. No one is ever truly safe from the sack. Improvements are needed, and Howe will know he has to deliver them.