As we enter the business end of the Premier League season with just 11 remaining fixtures, Newcastle United must rediscover the electric form that propelled us into the top-four race to avoid another disappointing campaign.

Today we face Brighton in the FA Cup, handing us a chance to reach the quarter finals and build momentum after a vital trip to West Ham a week on Monday and the Carabao Cup final in two weeks time.

However, our league form must improve after four defeats in our last six and remains key to securing a Champions League return.

Performances post-winning run

In recent weeks, after a sustained period of free-scoring and picking up wins for fun, we’ve hit a bit of a wall as our performances have become lacklustre; even in games we’ve ended up winning.

The ecstasy of the victory in the second leg of the Carabao Cup against Arsenal seems to have sapped all energy and intensity out of the squad as many look to be struggling to regain top form. But the signs were there before that infamous night.

Complacency looks to be setting in, as though some players view our lack of squad depth as an excuse (even subconsciously) to potentially coast through games, knowing their place in the starting eleven is of no real jeopardy.

This has resulted in a string of disjointed, leggy displays both at home and on the road. There are a multitude of potential reasons for this, one being without the aforementioned necessary squad depth to be able to compete at the highest level on all three fronts, some players have almost been run into the ground.

However, this cannot be an excuse, as it’s the same for many in and around us in a very tightly contested Premier League season, some of which have more games due to European commitments. The attitude and mentality of a few has been humiliating at times, especially evident in the embarrassment of our trip to the Etihad.

A huge game in the context of the Champions League race resulted in a 4-0 battering, where we didn’t look of any threat to a struggling Man City side who’ve been turned over many a time this campaign. After their first, it looked game over as our players looked beat. Void of ideas and scared to make an impression, it looked like a team waiting to get to the final on March 16th.

An imperative win against Forest followed, but after a first half where the game should have been won, our mentality let us down once again as we almost let a three-goal lead at home slip due to a lack of effort and concentration. Then, the trip to Anfield, which in all honesty wasn’t a terrible display by any means, but it was another defeat in which our opponents didn’t have to get out of second gear.

Similarly to the City game, no threat was posed and poor goals were conceded. For Balance, we have won 13 of our last 17 games in all competitions – continue that and we’ll end the season superbly – but there is no doubt we’ve seen a drop of in performance levels, with inconsistencies, errors and a lack of intensity returning to our play.

We must improve – and soon 

As we only have 11 remaining fixtures, intertwined with crucial cup games, a revert back to the sensational form we saw throughout December and the New Year is vitally important.

It’s well documented how tight the division is this season, as only five points separates fourth and tenth. This means any slump in form not only has the potential to spoil our Champions League hopes, but leave us looking over our shoulder for Europa League spots.

That combined with our second Carabao Cup Final in three years in just over two weeks, means our performances simply must improve, not just to boost our top five hopes but to give us the confidence and belief to beat Liverpool in the cup final in fortnight’s time.

We are all too aware of what Liverpool are capable of with them only needing a few chances to punish their opponent, no matter who that may be. We could even be at our absolute best at Wembley and still come up short.

Failing to re-find that form may lead to another disappointing year and subsequent upcoming summer transfer window, where the need to keep our stars and bring in elite reinforcements is as vital as ever. There is so much to play for and a huge opportunity in front of us, with the club fighting for Champions League football, 90 minutes away from lifting the league cup and the last eight of the FA Cup.

Thinking more positively, we’ve seen what our squad is capable of this season, and there’s no reason why it can’t be replicated as we close out the campaign. Do so, and we’re in for not only an exhilarating few months but a window where we have every chance of building the squad further and to a level, we’re yet to see under the new ownership.

For now, despite my reservations, I’ll remain as optimistic as possible and back the lads to deliver. It’s been a whirlwind of a season and March promises to decide so much; I just hope our best form doesn’t evade us at the business end of the season on all three fronts.