Newcastle United search for consistency

No lead is safe anymore for Newcastle United

The rollercoaster ride of Newcastle United’s season took a new turn on Sunday, as another Jekyll and Hyde performance resulted in a 1-1 draw away at Crystal Palace.

Away fixtures in the Premier League are never easy, but the Toon too often gift points to the opposition, and this ultimately falls at the feet of manager Rafa Benitez.

Typically in the first half, the Toon have played some positive football this season despite the apparent lack of quality in the squad. However, numerous points have been dropped from winning positions and this was no more evident than at Selhurst Park on Sunday. Under Palace pressure, Newcastle’s players dropped deeper and deeper in the 2nd half, unable to keep their composure and retain possession for any meaningful amount of time.

Tweeting after the disappointing 1-1 draw to Burnley last Wednesday, club captain Jamal Lascelles’ summary of conceding an 85th-minute equaliser as a “loss” reminds fans of the importance of seeing out a game and Newcastle’s inability to do so. The Burnley result was tough for the St. James Park faithful to take, but Rafa Benitez seemed content to play passively in the 2nd half, and it is therefore not surprising that his players were unable to be assertive and score what would’ve been a decisive 2nd goal.

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This recurring theme has brought not only dropped points for Newcastle but also criticism of Rafa Benitez. Amongst all the problem surrounding the running of the club, it seems bizarre that the former Champions League winning manager would face criticism.

Whilst the alternatives would be far worse than Rafa, Newcastle have taken the lead in 7 Premier League matches this season before not being able to secure 3 points. Rafa has long lamented individual errors as to why Newcastle have been unable to pick up wins, but the Toon have also lost 13 games this season, one less than the joint worst sides of Swansea, Stoke, and Huddersfield.

It is for this reason that the draws against Burnley and Crystal Palace are not the final nail in the coffin for Newcastle United. Defensively, there is cause for concern given the fragile manner in which leads have been given up – but out of the bottom 10 sides in the league, Newcastle have conceded the 2nd least.

The far more obvious issue is one of consistency. It’s difficult to get excited when the Toon take the lead and look the better team in the first half of games, when they retreat back into their shell in the 2nd half, content to let the opposition take control of the game and get a result.

This is where Rafa Benitez needs to display his experience and tactical knowledge to fans and players alike. Questionable decisions such as substituting a Mo Diame against Palace, who has been in good form recently, does not help the Spaniard’s cause in settling the nerves of Toon fans.

Impressive new signing Kenedy was also substituted for a largely ineffective Christian Atsu at Selhurst Park on Sunday, and it was no coincidence that once the Brazilian winger was removed Newcastle had seemingly no spark or creative ability to punish a beatable Palace side.

Does Rafa Benitez lack the players to play dominating, attacking football? Almost certainly. But there is no excuse for the inability of Newcastle United to play two good halves of Premier League football. If the inconsistency continues, there is no guarantee that the Toon will be able to stay up this season. For Rafa Benitez, this must be glaringly obvious, and hopefully, things will change for the better come the end of the season.