An all-too-familiar tale with Newcastle United: despite playing better and showing encouragement in their 1-1 draw against Fulham, self-destruction came back to haunt them once again.
After losing to Everton on Monday night, they showed more movement and created more chances going forward, but their failure to capitalise on it and hold on eventually came back to bite them.
That was a real shame, especially given that the Magpies looked much more structured defensively throughout the game. Jaissle was ultimately let down by his players once more.
Missing quality in the final third
It was a much better attacking display from Newcastle United. They created chances, found space in the opposition's half, and just generally looked more threatening.
Yet again, the problem remained individual quality in the final third. Harvey Barnes looked the Magpies' best chance for a goal, as he has done so often previous but fluffed good chances on multiple occasions.
Newcastle finally figured out that building up from the back and progressing the ball forward, rather than obsessively hitting it long, actually worked for them. But you still need individual quality in attack to step up and deliver when those phases result in chances.
Jacob Murphy was surprisingly the man to break the deadlock at Craven Cottage, as he curled a wonderful shot from 25 yards out to cap off one of his better performances this season. Don’t expect to see that every week though…
The Magpies finished the game with a 1.03 overall xG, which is rather modest considering how many chances it felt like they created. Matthias Jaissle got the balance right with the team, but the lack of a sharp attacking forwards is a problem.
Last season's problems remain largely the same.
Did the team play better at Craven Cottage? Sure, it was a slight improvement from their Monday Night. But if you were hoping for some big response, you will definitely have been disappointed.
Newcastle conceded the most points from winning positions last season and notoriously struggled to create chances a problem which arose again today.
And, despite a much more solid showing for the most part, the lack of end product came back to bite them as the defence failed to clear. Fulham flooded the Newcastle box with numbers, and Muniz was ultimately able to flick the ball beyond Lukas Hornicek to level the score.
It was another moment of self-destruction, after a slightly more positive showing. The Magpies now sit 11th in the table, but right now it still feels they are heading in the wrong direction.
If you can't be consistent on both ends of the pitch, how are you expected to build form?
This goes beyond summer recruitment and the manager's tactics; it is a side that needs some harsh truths, not bullish statements in the media saying we must respond to this.
As out on the pitch, the performances haven't matched their words.
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