Eddie Howe admits Newcastle United were “difficult to watch” in a disappointing 1-1 draw at home against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies were without winger Allan Saint-Maximin for the third consecutive game as they picked up another draw in the league – their fifth in this campaign.
Despite being the superior side, Newcastle were left to rue wasted chances as Bournemouth took a 1-0 lead through Philip Billing before Alexander Isak’s equaliser from 12 yards.
Newcastle pushed for a winner in the latter stages but they were unable to take the lead as they struggled to create from open play in an overall toothless performance.
After the game, manager Eddie Howe had this to say:
“Our performance was below the level we set ourselves. We played in front of them too much. I felt we were off in every aspect of our game. It was a difficult watch towards the end. We needed to do a lot better to break them down. For the first time this season those levels dipped. There’s a big sense of frustration in the dressing room.”
It is the story of Newcastle’s season so far that despite being the better side in a lot of games they have been unable to convert that superiority into three points, admittedly with officiating decisions often falling into the opponent’s favour.
Howe will be hoping to harness that “frustration” that is building up amongst the squad into a win against Fulham after the international break – but who will be in the squad for that game?
Despite the return of Bruno Guimaraes there are still several star shaped holes in that Newcastle team, namely Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson who both missed out on this fixture with their own respective injuries.
Howe has said he made the decision not to take a risk on playing Callum Wilson against his former side, but said he was “close” to making the squad. The news around Maxi is not so positive, as the gaffer admits it is “unclear” if the Frenchman will be back to face Fulham after the international break.
Another familiar face missing from today’s squad was teenage talent Elliot Anderson, with Howe saying the young Scotsman is struggling with a “minor niggle”.
The squad looks tired on the field. With so many injuries and a lack of quality on the bench it was inevitable there would be a decline in performance. He can’t expect the players to go all out 90 minutes only to then be run ragged in training. With the upcoming filter congestion it will only get worse.
Someone needs to get into Howe’s ear and get him to back off a little bit in training because it’s obvious to everyone (except him) that his methods are bringing on this endless list of hamstring injuries.
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