Newcastle United are a team in decline with a quick glance at the Premier League table showing that standards have slipped in the last 12 months.
When Newcastle qualified for the Champions League in 2023 their motto became famous around Tyneside and beyond. Intensity is our identity. This season, however, they look like a team bound by the weight of those that pulled on the shirts before them.
By the time Newcastle kick off against Brighton & Hove Albion, 14th could have become 15th if Leeds beat Burnley at Elland Road on Friday night. The club’s Premier League position is the headline figure of a campaign that has slid backwards in the second half of the year.
You’d like to think Newcastle won’t slip any further, but as things stand, they are not mathematically safe with Tottenham Hotspur still capable of getting more points on the board. A relegation scrap is unlikely, but the reality is that when United celebrated the win at Chelsea after Anthony Gordon’s winner in mid-March it could be argued they were toasting top-flight survival without realising.
The Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup papered over a few cracks at Newcastle in the first half of the year. But behind the curtain, unrest was growing, with Nick Woltemade unable to command a place in his preferred position, Yoane Wissa going from a starter to the bench after scoring against PSV Eindhoven and doubts over a defence that can’t keep a clean sheet.
Then there was the spat between Kieran Trippier and Gordon in Baku. Played down at the time as the duo hugged each other in the tunnel, but looking back it seems strange that Gordon was being accused as being greedy in the 6-1 win over Qarabag in the Champions League, with Trippier wanting Woltemade to take a penalty to boost his confidence and form.
Could Trippier see something we couldn’t at that moment in time? Trippier’s words this week were cutting as he insisted his team-mates deserved to be booed for their recent loss against AFC Bournemouth.
What has gone wrong precisely at Newcastle in recent months? One theory is that Howe is trying to drum the same message into players that helped him get success in 2023 and 2025 but the cast of characters has now changed dramatically.
The likes of Alexander Isak, Callum Wilson, Sean Longstaff, and Miguel Almiron have all gone, and stalwarts like Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes have been injured for the second half of the season. Trippier has known he will leave for months and so have those around him.
Is it all down to Alexander Isak leaving?
The Isak saga has denied Newcastle of their top scorer – after he grabbed 29 last term – and also shook the dressing room after he snubbed pre-season training. The players signed to replace him have not been afforded the chance to replicate that loss of goals to the team with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa spending more time on the bench recently.
Club legend Alan Shearer gave his feelings this week and said: “The Isak transfer has been disastrous for Newcastle, Liverpool, and himself. It really has not worked for any party. The money they paid out for him was a good fee that Newcastle got, but it just hasn’t worked for all three parties.”
The stats don’t make good reading
Newcastle have conceded 19 goals after the 75th minute, four more than any other team and switching off is a bad habit of Howe’s Magpies. Late winners against Sunderland, AFC Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Barcelona in the Champions League have left the Toon board fuming as a double European chase turned into a scrap at the bottom of the Premier League table.
A lack of concentration is clearly evident – and not just at the end of matches. Take Arsenal’s early opener on Saturday – the Magpies didn’t learn from three short corners that eventually led to Eberechi Eze curling home the winner. As the final whistle confirmed another defeat, it became official – five defeats on the spin is the worst run since January 2021, back to the days of Steve Bruce in that respect.
That season Bruce ended the campaign with 45 points and in 12th place – and that is something Howe still has to beat in the final four games. Newcastle’s 16 losses in the Premier League this season is also their most in a single campaign since 2020-21 when they lost 17, and it could yet get worse.
It’s relegation form and there’s no escaping that fact
Newcastle are fourth bottom of the Premier League form table over the last five matches and are only ahead of Wolves on goal difference. Thank heavens for those wins over Chelsea and Man United in March!
United got through April with a 100% record of defeats in the Premier League and in 2026 have lost nine times, the same as relegated Burnley and relegation-haunted Tottenham Hotspur. An in-form Brighton are up next at St James’ Park and they will be shooting for the stars in terms of a European place. It doesn’t get easier.
One myth busted as ‘team not trying’ truth
Despite accusations of Newcastle players not giving it their all, the running stats are actually better this season than in the last two. Indeed, Newcastle covered 113 km per game in the Premier League on average in 2023/24 and 111.6 km per game in 2024/25 – this season it is 113.6 km per game.
And in terms of sprints, it was 154 in 2022/23 per game and 158.2 per game in 24/25 compared to 163.1 per game this season. It is not down to a lack of effort, it is just bad decision making, sloppy defending and failure to finish up top when it matters.
Joelinton drop off
The Brazilian enforcer has been a key figure for Eddie Howe since he hauled Newcastle from the bottom of the table in 2021/22 to the Champions League. But the South American has suffered with injury and suspension this season missing three games during the winter period, two of which ended in defeat against Liverpool and Brentford.
The £40m signing’s stats are down this season with less chances created, less duels won and less tackles per game. That has been affected by missing eight games of course but the midfielder has offered little in terms of an attacking threat, his last goal came in the 4-3 win over Leeds back in January.
The biggest warning of all
Just last season, Tottenham papered over a lot of cracks by winning the Europa League but an alarming 17th place finish suggested bigger issues. Spurs have gone through three managers this season with Roberto De Zerbi now trying to steady the ship.
A hangover from last term was carried over and the question was put to Howe whether that could now happen to Newcastle next season. Howe did not shirk that question on Saturday night at Arsenal and said: “Yes, but we’ve got a lot to do. I think we’ve got challenges from different sides on the pitch, off the pitch. We’ve got a big summer coming up, so we need to be fully prepared for that.”
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