Is Eddie Howe at real risk of being sacked as Newcastle boss?

 

Eddie Howe is under pressure.  

 

It sounds strange to say given Newcastle United have racked up an 8-0 win the Premier League, they statistically have the best attack in the English top-flight and the Magpies dismantled Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in the Champions League, but, on current form, the former Bournemouth boss isn’t going to see out the campaign at St James’ Park.  

 

Newcastle went from losing just one in 12 matches across all competitions to losing six of their last seven. A catastrophic December has seen the Magpies crash out of Europe entirely after they gambled for a Champions League last-16 spot only to lose, at home, to AC Milan. They were minutes away from a Carabao Cup semi-final place only for a Kieran Trippier error to allow Mykhalio Mudryk to equalise for Chelsea. The Blues then won on penalties.  

 

They are now ninth in the Premier League table following losses to Everton, Spurs and relegation-threatened duo Luton Town and Nottingham Forest.  

 

Howe and his side now have an unenviable run of matches in January with trips to Anfield and Villa Park in the Premier League while they visit the Stadium of Light for an FA Cup clash with neighbours Sunderland. The Magpies also play host to Manchester City during what is shaping up to be a season-defining month for the manager and, perhaps, a number of the squad.  

 

A lot can change in a month though, especially in football. In the three games before this torrid run of form, Newcastle had beaten Chelsea and Manchester United while drawing with Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital. Everything appeared back on track following the back-to-back losses after the 1-0 win over Arsenal. Defeats to Borussia Dortmund and Bournemouth were viewed as a blip.  

 

Injuries and suspensions haven’t helped Howe this season but this is part and parcel of having European football to contend with. And though many try to push the idea that this Newcastle team was punching, you can’t overlook the big summer spend undertaken to bolster the squad. The Magpies parted with over £120m to bring in Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento while Lewis Hall joined from Chelsea on loan. Howe was backed in the transfer market last year too with over £150m spent on reinforcements.   

 

So while Newcastle haven’t done a Chelsea and bought everyone and anyone, they have been fairly active in the transfer market and that shouldn’t be overlooked.   

 

 

They were able to name a fairly strong XI in the 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day. Yes, the Magpies were without Jamaal Lascelles, Elliott Anderson, Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock, Javier Manquillo, Sandro Tonali and Nick Pope, but they were still able to name the likes of Joelinton, Livramento, Callum Wilson and Hall on the bench.   

 

The only area of the team that looked a little weak was midfield, with Bruno Guimaraes deployed alongside youngster Lewis Miley and Sean Longstaff. But the XI named by Howe should not be allowing a team like Nottingham Forest 15 shots at goal. The away side racked up an Expected Goals total of 3.46 on the day. It was just far too easy for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.  

 

In his post-match interview, Howe admitted he was in an uncomfortable position but did look to lay the blame at the feet of his players.  

 

"We were not quite at our best and when you are not you get punished. There was a lot of good first half but the last action or pass was missing and that was frustrating. We wanted to make it 2-0 and in a commanding position. It has been an intense period." 

 

"Some of our decision-making was off, positioning or technically. It wasn’t a big tactical issue, we didn’t deal with moments in the game." 

 

He went on to suggest he would be prepared to make wholesale changes to get his team back on track. 

 

"I’ll be prepared to make any change that I think can benefit either the performance or the result and of course, players are accountable for what they deliver.  

 

"No amount of credit in the bank is big enough, you have to earn everything you get from the game. I’m a firm believer in that so players know they have to perform and we have to change our short-term form for sure. It will be nice to build up to games and training. I think we have suffered not having training ground time. And the inability to rotate the team has caught up with us." 

 

The upcoming month may actually make it easier for Howe. With the exception of the Sunderland game, there’s no pressure on Newcastle to win any of these games. They can sit deep, soak up pressure and look to play on the break. It doesn’t have to be pretty, they just need to get points on the board. Such a tactical tweak isn’t possible when you’re going into games as favourites. Newcastle have had to open themselves up against relegation strugglers Everton, Luton and Forest and this has exposed them.  

 

It will be interesting to see whether or not the Magpies are active in the market in January. If they aren’t, it might suggest Howe’s time is up. If that is the case, he can count himself unlucky, but Premier League football is ruthless.

Is Eddie Howe at real risk of being sacked as Newcastle boss?