TA: There is consensus within Newcastle that change is needed, but Eddie Howe still has support

The Athletic Newcastle team reporters Chris Waugh and George Caulkin wrote a long article titled, "After a sluggish record, Newcastle is about to usher in change - but in what direction?"

The main content of the article:

"We can no longer go down the current path."

This is the consensus and tone within Newcastle United during the international match. Faced with a dismal start to the Premier League season, the club has unanimously agreed that change is necessary - and this has been recognized by all members. But it must be emphasized that no matter which direction they choose in the future, they will unite to forge a new path rather than go their separate ways.

Eddie Howe knows very well that the recent record is far from up to standard: the results of consecutive 1-3 away defeats to West Ham United and Brentford are almost unacceptable. Ranking 14th is definitely not anyone's goal and the team must quickly improve their performance. However, the club's top brass know the value of Howe - this elite coach has built Newcastle, who were in deep relegation crisis, into a championship team.

According to multiple anonymous insiders (who requested anonymity to protect professional relationships), the team will not look for scapegoats or panic. It will only collectively explore solutions and welcome healthy differences of opinion and diverse perspectives.

"Nobody is panicking," said one senior source. "The key is to be proactive rather than reactive - that nuance is crucial."

Ironically, with the new management team of chief executive David Hopkinson and sporting director Ross Wilson strengthening top-down leadership, the club believes that the current predicament will be a good test of whether the team is aligned. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) spent a year recruiting the duo and gave them full responsibility for day-to-day operations. It does not currently (and is not expected to) directly intervene in Howe's position.

Hupu November 20th News In fact, Newcastle has won 6 of the last 9 games in all competitions, but 5 of them were home victories and 3 of the losses came from away games in the Premier League. As the defending League Cup champions, the team has advanced to the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive year and is also tied with Real Madrid, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Things weren't all bad, but West Ham's disastrous defeat made these highlights hard to appreciate. Accumulating only 12 points in 11 rounds is the worst start of Howe's coaching career. The competition for Champions League qualification is basically hopeless, which means that the club will lose a key source of income.

Howe is indeed under pressure - but this is the competitive pressure that every member of Newcastle needs to bear, and he has not been overwhelmed. Colleagues say that he remains calm and determined: he is neither arrogant nor arrogant when the team wins, and he is not depressed now that he is in a trough. Management is passing on the same mentality.

Although Howe was always eager to return to the field immediately, everyone agreed that this international break came at the right time. The team needs a mental reset and on-field tactical innovation. With several players on international duty, Howe spent the first few days after the defeat at Brentford carefully analyzing game footage and developing a plan for improvements that he is now implementing.

At a basic level, the plan includes strengthening physical training - the previous intensive schedule resulted in insufficient training time, which affected the players' physical condition. But Newcastle's ups and downs also gave Howe more food for thought.

"Whether it's personnel adjustments, formation changes or tactical style, we have to make changes," a first-team insider told The Athletic.

But there are also significant differences between the two. Howe felt isolated at the time: the departures of co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehdad Godousi left him without allies on the board, while the arrival of sporting director Paul Mitchell caused divisions and toxic tensions, leaving no one clear about the club's long-term plans.

Today, one year later, at least off the field, the atmosphere in Newcastle is more harmonious and healthy. Hopkinson's appointment breathed new life into the process, and he maintained frequent, often daily, communication with Howe. Mitchell has been replaced by Wilson, and the team atmosphere is improving again.

"We now have the team and structure we want," said one senior executive, "and the right people in the right positions, so you feel like, 'Now we can make steady progress.'"

But there is a premise: "Oddly enough, the decline in Premier League results happened just when the club was finally getting on track," he said. "In fact, it was probably six months too late - because we needed that kind of stability in the summer."

Ah, that summer.

Newcastle was initially leaderless, with neither a sporting director nor a chief executive, and then the situation got worse. The fallout from Alexander Isak's strike and move to Liverpool is still lingering.

Isak left the team on the transfer deadline; in retrospect, this seems to be the inevitable result, but at the time there was a lack of leadership, and although some people tried to whitewash it afterwards, Newcastle's strategy was to resolutely retain him. That proved futile, with the squad compromised - a crucial fact often overlooked these days - and forced to scramble to find replacements for Isaac and Callum Wilson at the last minute.

The plan to retain Isaac was fundamentally flawed, and its negative consequences are still being felt today.

Newcastle lacked an orthodox center at the start of this season. Yoan Visa arrived for a fee of over £50 million, but was immediately injured while playing for the Democratic Republic of Congo, which meant that no one under Howe could come close to Isaac's tactical role.. The signing of Nick Waltermade can be called a high-priced "surprise player" - his technical style is completely opposite to Isaac. He should have been integrated into the team step by step, but he had almost no rest time.

This has brought about a huge chain reaction. Isaac is fast and good at breaking through defenses with the ball or inserting behind him. Walter Mede is used to dropping back to get the ball and rarely enters the penalty area: against West Ham United, he had zero shots and only touched the ball once in the penalty area; against Brentford, he had zero shots and touched the ball 4 times in the penalty area. He neither has the speed nor the instincts required to press up front.

At its peak, Newcastle under Howe was known for its speed, vitality and almost unsolvable offensive aggression. But the current team is no longer as brave as it once was. Walter Mader should not have been so hasty to take on the important task, but he had to adapt to the new environment while fighting fatigue. Similarly, teammates who are used to Isaac leading the press must also learn as they play without adequate training.

Visa alone cannot completely reverse Newcastle's season, but his scoring record and technical style that have been tested in the Premier League will undoubtedly bring important help. Howe will resist the temptation to use Visa too early in case he is injured again, but the team desperately needs his return and he may be on the substitutes list before December.

The 29-year-old carries high expectations and his Newcastle teammates should be more familiar with the combination with Visa, although it may be a few weeks before he is ready to start.

What can Hao do?

Regarding the future development direction, there are different opinions from the outside world: some people think that small adjustments can bring about qualitative changes, while others think that "complete innovation" is needed.

Hao has been carefully studying game videos and actively exploring on the training ground. Due to the intensive competition this season, the team's training time is limited. Sandro Tonali returned from the Italian national team early and is in good physical condition, which is crucial for Howe to fine-tune his tactics.

Newcastle's current lineup is deep enough to support more rotations, but it is generally believed that frequent participation has weakened the team's sharpness. Insufficient training time is the main sticking point. This truce period is equivalent to a mini pre-season preparation for the team, focusing on physical reserves.

Whether the follow-up is to adjust the formation, replace players, or both, the team insists that Newcastle's performance will be completely new in Saturday's game against Manchester City and next weekend's game against Everton.

A three-back formation is a possible option, and replacing Joelinton in the midfield with Jacob Ramsey will bring a stronger impact.

If the downturn after Isaac left the team is Newcastle's main problem, then there are other related hidden dangers that need to be resolved urgently.

On the defensive end, Newcastle's defensive line has retreated (as shown below). Although it has completed 5 clean sheets, its expected goals conceded (xGA) has continued to deteriorate.

The injuries to Lewis Hall (who had been absent before) and Tino Liveramento caused Newcastle to lose their technical advantage and speed at the full-back position - this position is an important starting point for the team's offense.

In the next two weeks, Hall and Livera will take over from Dan Byrne and Kieran Trippier, which will bring faster speed and greater threats to the team, and will naturally improve the defensive position. Hall will start as Bourne is suspended against Manchester City.

Anthony Gordon led by example in an unfamiliar position at the beginning of the season, but after being sent off against Liverpool, he seemed to have lost his former edge. Newcastle's wingers have not contributed enough and have only participated in 3 goals so far, but the return of Hall and Liveramento should create more offensive space for the wide players.

Against Brentford, Newcastle players were obviously exhausted, and Tonali and Bruno Guimarães provided little effective defensive protection in the midfield. The midfielder, which had been the team's strength for a long time, has quickly become a shortcoming, and the players' confidence has plummeted. Coupled with injuries, poor form and physical problems of some players - Joelinton, Ramsey, Anthony Elanga, etc. - many negative factors are intertwined.

Howe must learn to better adjust his lineup to cope with the challenges of multi-line elite events. Previously, the team would rotate up to 7 players between the Champions League and Premier League matches, but with the increase in injuries, the rotation range has been reduced.

Although Howe may be worried that rotating the main lineup will lead to a decline in strength, it is obvious that core players such as Guimarães, Walter Mader and Joelinton are difficult to maintain peak performance in three high-intensity games every week.

This partly has to do with attitude, with one senior source mentioning that maintaining fighting spirit in the league is a "mental challenge" after the highlight of the Champions League. But key players often perform poorly in this area.

Newcastle may need to prioritize the Premier League, especially if they can win against Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The January transfer window is unlikely to be Newcastle's "life-saving straw" - Howe cannot wait until then. The team still has 11 games to play before the window opens, 8 of which are in the Premier League.

Although the club has the willingness and ability to introduce reinforcements in the middle of the season - full-backs and midfielders are key positions, Newcastle will only sign players that fit the long-term plan rather than invest heavily in short-term performance. It is expected that by the summer, the team will have multiple players coming in and out to achieve upgrades and iterations of the lineup.

At present, Howe must tap more potential from the existing lineup.

Everyone within Newcastle still supports Howe, and they insist that even if the team may experience more difficulties before getting better due to the pressure of a dense schedule, this trust will not be shaken.

But this trust is not blind, and Hao is also clearly aware of the necessity of innovation. Newcastle cannot continue on their current path - overdue change is coming.