‘Obliterated’ - Newcastle United’s major problem exposed by Fulham as Man City lie in wait
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Newcastle United’s main strength has been ‘obliterated’ this season - according to one former Celtic man.
Eddie Howe’s side tasted defeat for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon as they were soundly beaten by Marco Silva’s Fulham. The Cottagers were very good value for their win and could have scored more than the three times they managed on a bitterly disappointing day in the capital for the Magpies.
Despite being only their first defeat of the season, the loss against Fulham felt like a result that had been coming after a few below-par performances. Howe’s side have never really hit top gear in any of their games so far this campaign and were fortunate to beat Wolves last time out thanks to two stunning strikes from Harvey Barnes and Fabian Schar.
A disappointing end to last season, one that saw them miss out on European football, was followed by a summer window which saw them add just two senior outfield players to their ranks. It has been a turbulent few months on Tyneside and former Celtic and Chelsea man, Craig Burley, has pinpointed one area of the pitch that Howe’s side have struggled with all season - one they must improve if they are to challenge for European qualification.
“Their backbone was their back line.” Burley told ESPN. “That was the foundation. Trippier, Botman, Schar, Burn – it’s just not happening anymore.
“Botman is injured, Trippier they want out – they want to get rid of Trippier. Dan Burn is playing centre-half, Livramento played full-back but then Trippier played.
“The back line was solid for them, and it gave them a base. That has been obliterated.
“Last year it was obliterated by injuries. Pope, the centre-halves, Trippier lost form. Now you can’t guess what the Newcastle back four will be next week and that is a huge problem.”
Next up for Newcastle United is a trip to face AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night before they host reigning champions Manchester City in the Premier League next weekend. They haven’t defeated the Citizens in the Premier League since January 2019.