While we have had excuses and reasoning behind the club’s poor start, maybe Newcastle United is just a bad soccer team this year.
Newcastle United currently occupy a relegation spot on the table. I know, it’s very early in the season. I’m also aware of how difficult the beginning of the schedule has been. There’s a good chance that their early opponents are why the club is stuck in the bottom three. There is also the fact that they’ve dealt with an injury to arguably their best player in Jonjo Shelvey. But, if we’re being honest, there’s also a chance Newcastle United are simply a side that isn’t good enough to escape the relegation battle this season.
Through six matches, the club has not won. They’ve had some decent close calls, but they haven’t been able to take all three points. Is that a sign of a club on the brink of getting on track or a club that doesn’t have the quality or killer instinct to take the result? That’s the million dollar question.
As far as the players, are there any that are completely exceeding expectations? Jamaal Lascelles and Shelvey have battled injuries. Kenedy has been abysmal, Ayoze Perez hasn’t reclaimed his scoring touch, and Salomon Rondon hasn’t been the gamechanger up top that some hoped for. The only player possibly doing better than we anticipated is Joselu, who leads the club in goals.
In nearly every match this season, Newcastle United has been out-possessed and we are not talking about 51/49%. They have been close to 20% on multiple occasions and that is unacceptable for a side that wants to work their way out of the relegation battle. The club having Rafa Benitez provides a sense of security for concerned fans, but maybe the Spanish manager truly does not have the firepower.
In the early stages of the season, it seems comfortable enough to pick Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City as likely relegation sides. Hopefully, Newcastle United are what we expected this season and they find their way to the middle of the table. But, as the winless matches continue to stack up, Toon Army may need to take a long look at their club and realize, it is going to be a battle to stay up in the 2018/19 season.