Defensive mistakes, attack falters again, no fight – so what IS the plan here?
NEWCASTLE United have blown the opportunity to reach a first League Cup semi-final since 1976 after being dumped out of the competition by Brentford.
Despite the prize on offer, and the number of changes promotionchasing Brentford made, the Magpies could have no complaints after Josh DaSilva fired the Bees to a deserved win.
Here are five things we learned from Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat.
NEWCASTLE BLOW A HUGE OPPORTUNITY
The Magpies, arguably, could not have put out a stronger team last night. Steve Bruce made four changes from the side that stumbled to a draw against Fulham three days previously.
Callum Wilson rightly made his first start in the cup this season as Bruce stuck to his vow to take the cups seriously and Isaac Hayden, who filled in at centre-back, insisted the players knew ‘what’s at stake here’.
Yet it was a very cagey start from the Magpies and, judging by the intensity a much-changed Brentford side played with, you would not necessarily have known which team was playing in the Premier League and which side was battling for promotion in the Championship.
Given the prize on offer – Newcastle were just two wins away from reaching a Wembley final – it was hard to get your head around Newcastle’s poor display and how Brentford dominated this game.
When DaSilva eventually broke the deadlock, you couldn’t say Brentford did not deserve it.
THE PRESSURE CRANKS UP ON BRUCE
Bruce stressed last week that ‘progress was always going to be slow’ because he could not ‘just transform the way we want to go overnight’.
But Newcastle have only got worse with each game they have played in the last week and to fail to beat any of Leeds, Fulham or Brentford is just unacceptable.
Whatever is said about his team selection, it was hard to make sense of Bruce’s game plan and how cold his side were despite the huge prize on offer.
Newcastle’s hierarchy will put their fingers in their ears – Premier League survival is what matters, after all – but Bruce should be getting more from this group after sizable investment since he arrived.
SLOPPY DEFENDING PROVES COSTLY AGAIN
Covid-19 might have robbed the Magpies of Jamaal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez, the club’s first- choice centre- back partnership, but that is not an excuse for some of the defending we have witnessed in the last week.
Newcastle repeatedly shot themselves in the foot late on against Leeds and conceded three sloppy goals in 11 minutes in the closing stages at Elland Road before Fulham caused United real problems at set-pieces three days later.
Brentford made six changes for the visit of Newcastle, but the Bees play with the same philosophy regardless of personnel. Newcastle struggled with energetic sides like Southampton and Leeds and sloppy errors at the back gave Brentford three goes at breaking the deadlock in the first half as Ethan Pinnock, Samman Ghoddos and Serg i Canos all went close.
When DaSilva did eventually fire past Karl Darlow, it came at the end of a move in which United looked a yard slower throughout.
WHERE WAS THE FIGHT?
Newcastle ended the game with four strikers – Callum Wilson, Joelinton, Dwight Gayle and Andy Carroll – on the field but, damningly, the Magpies did not seriously trouble goalkeeper Luke Daniels at any stage in the second half.
While Bruce may have personally scouted the Bees, it was hard to ascertain what the game plan was.
It could even have been worse. The Magpies had to rely on Darlow to keep them in this game late on as he denied substitute Christian Norgaard and Ivan Toney.
At one point, Carroll even barged over Sean Longstaff, his own teammate, before ballooning the ball over the bar, which summed up the visitors’ night.
THINGS DON’T GET ANY EASIER
Given what was on offer – the chance to reach a cup semi-final for the first time in the Ashley era – this was the Magpies’ biggest game of the season.
United have been handed some brutal cup draws over the years but Bruce will never have a better opportunity to get into the last four again after his side avoided meeting a fellow top-flight side in each of the previous four rounds.
But this has been a chastening week for Bruce after three poor performances against Leeds, Fulham and Brentford, and things are not about to get any easier.
Newcastle face Man City, Liverpool and Leicester over the festive period. It is hard to imagine the Magpies emerging with any points.
It was hard to make sense of Bruce’s game plan and how cold his side were despite the huge prize on offer