It is hard to believe Newcastle United are performing as poorly as they are in the Premier League.
While the Magpies have been almost perfect in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, it has been a different story in the Premier League.
Newcastle United’s loss to Brentford leaves them down in 14th position, having picked up 12 points from their opening 11 games. It has been a concerning start to the season, with Eddie Howe’s side yet to record a victory away from St James’ Park.
The volume of games they have appears to be a problem for Newcastle United, and that is summed up by the number of points they had at this stage last season.
Eddie Howe looks dejected after Newcastle United's loss to Brentford.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Newcastle United had six more points after 11 games last season
Newcastle United did not start the 2024/25 season brilliantly either, despite it ending up as their best campaign ever thanks to Carabao Cup glory and Champions League qualification.
After 11 games, the Magpies had 18 points on the board and were eighth in the table. A return to Europe was very much on the cards, sitting just one point behind third-placed Chelsea.
But while Newcastle had picked up plenty of points, there was no consistency in their performances. They were capable of stepping up against the elite, only to fall short in games that they should be winning.
That remained a problem for Eddie Howe until the middle of December. Interestingly, a loss to Brentford that month resulted in Howe being under the same kind of pressure that he is now after Sunday’s loss in West London.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
What came next was a nine-game winning run that galvanised Newcastle United’s season.
Champions League taking its toll on Newcastle United
During a recent interview, Alan Shearer said being in Europe is impacting Newcastle United.
The stats back that up, as they have fewer points at this stage this season compared to 12 months ago.
However, the Magpies are only six points worse off. Caveat that with Newcastle doing so well in the Champions League and the situation is far from disastrous.
The concern is that they will not qualify for next season’s Champions League unless they sort out their domestic form. The Premier League should be Newcastle’s bread and butter, but it is actually proving to be their biggest challenge.
Those challenges are set to continue, with Manchester City up next in the Premier League. After that, it’s a trip to France to face Marseille in the Champions League.