Newcastle's mainstay starter faces huge backlash for his poor show against Wolves

The Newcastle Vs Wolves fixture ended in the visitors' favor; however, the after-match scenarios aren't sounding good from the club's perspective. Not to forget, despite fighting up significantly for the majority of the first half, the Magpies club had gotten behind till halftime. Though Schar and Barnes pulled it back for the Tyneside club, reports suggest that a starting midfielder has been targeted for his display against Wolves.

Newcastle's mainstay starter faces huge backlash for his poor show against Wolves

In the initial minutes of the fixture, the game, despite being enthralling, lacked goals from both ends; however, the way the deadlock was broken is being questioned by the Magpies fans. Around the 35th minute, Newcastle's Sean Longstaff lost possession in a clinical area, which led to a quick counter from the home side, which ultimately Captain Lemina finished with ease.

Even though Longstaff wasn't the only man to be blamed for the falling goal, the 26-year-old has faced much backlash from the fans for his error against the Wolves. While it is the harsh truth that, including the error, the English midfielder didn't enjoy a significant fixture, overall, the 26-year-old has been quite effective in the matches before this game for Newcastle.

However, the shocking fact is that Longstaff has been receiving such criticisms for a long time now, and he is generally the man targeted for the club's failures. In fact, in the words of his Newcastle teammate Dan Burn,

"“Longstaff gets some stick that he doesn’t deserve, but internally we love him, and he does a massive job for the team.”"

- Dan Burn

Moreover, what has been the disheartening part is the fact that the midfielder has been subject to criticism at such a crucial stage of his career. With star midfielder Sandro Tonali back for the Magpies club, the 26-year-old is constantly under pressure to remain in the playing XI. Moreover, with his contract expiring next summer, it is clearly a time of turmoil for Longstaff.

Clearly, the midfield star has been quite underrated in his overall career at Newcastle, and despite being an academy graduate, Longstaff doesn't get the back of fans every time. Considering that the player's contract is near expiring, Longstaff would need to have a brilliant 2024/25 campaign; otherwise, he might get sidelined from the club's future plans.

Overall, Sean Longstaff, despite having quite a decent performance for the Newcastle lineup, isn't facing the required support from his own fans. The Newcastle board and the well-wishers of the club would hope that this difficult phase in the midfielder's career dwindles soon, given the player's importance for Howe's setup.