Danny Murphy has explained what Newcastle United must do to sort out their rotten away record in the Premier League.
It is a record that got worse on Sunday, with Newcastle United losing 3-1 to Brentford.
Eddie Howe was let down by his players yet again, as his side suffered their third consecutive away defeat in the Premier League. It was a woeful display, leaving Newcastle United just two points above the relegation zone.
Following the defeat, Bruno Guimaraes issued an emotional statement to supporters. He described this spell as the ‘toughest’ moment of his four-year career on Tyneside, insisting that they will bounce back after the international break.
For that to happen, Danny Murphy has called on Eddie Howe’s players to be much ‘braver’ when they are not playing at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe and his players applaud the Newcastle United fans after losing to Brentford.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Danny Murphy tells Newcastle United how to fix their rotten away form
The former Liverpool midfielder spoke about Newcastle’s performance on BBC Match Of The Day 2, criticising them for their attacking failures away from home.
“The lack of creativity, Eddie Howe spoke about it before the game,” he said.
“They haven’t got an abundance of options high up the pitch. Gordon is out, Wissa hasn’t been able to play. They’ve got to be braver. They’ve got to get more from their full-backs. They’re obviously missing Livramento, who’s a big player for them in terms of attacking.
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“Their confidence looks low on the road. The first half, defensively they were really good. They were at it, winning duels. Second half, they looked leggy and capitulated a bit.”
Murphy added: “The creativity when you go away from home is harder because you’re always on the back foot more in games.
“The players have to stand up and be counted. You have to be braver on the road. Eddie won’t accept that. That second half performance was a tad worrying.”
Newcastle United will improve once Tino Livramento returns
While it does not excuse Newcastle United’s rotten away form, they are struggling offensively without Tino Livramento.
His endless running down either flank has been a big miss during his knee injury, with Kieran Trippier starting instead. While the 35-year-old is immensely talented and his experience is invaluable, his skillset is very different to Livramento’s.
That has been compounded by Dan Burn playing on the opposite flank instead of Lewis Hall. He is even less impactful offensively, with Newcastle fans desperate to see more of Hall.
That will now happen, with Burn suspended for Newcastle’s next game after his red card versus Brentford.
There is hope that Livramento could return against Manchester City as well, as he steps up his recovery. That will be a big boost for Eddie Howe, whose season could be saved by his two young full-backs.