After back-to-back defeats against Everton, the pressure is heating up on Matthias Jaissle, who is beginning to look like yet another recruitment mistake from those in charge at Newcastle United.
The German was dealt a shoddy hand, but will be the first to suffer if his bluff continues to be called with every passing week. It’s not just his reputation that is suffering this season, either.
Some of Newcastle’s remaining stars have failed to step up, hanging their manager out to dry and exposing the decision-makers at St James’ Park in the process.
How Newcastle’s best players are failing Jaissle
When recruitment fails, it’s up to existing players to step up. Even without Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, this is a squad full of potential. Harvey Barnes, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga are all far more capable than what they’ve shown so far this season.
If recruitment could single-handedly end a season, then Everton would be one of the sides proving it right now. Instead, the likes of Thierno Barry have stepped up to prove a point right in front of sides like Newcastle.
Jaissle needs more from his players, but reports have claimed that his ideas and his philosophy are currently getting lost in translation.
According to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Newcastle players are confused by what the manager wants from them. That could be forgiven in pre-season, but not nine games into the Premier League campaign when results look unlikely to improve.
The players are reportedly in support of Jaissle, but there needs to be evidence on the pitch. Players once deemed destined for the top such as Tino Livramento and those who were reliable elsewhere, like Wissa, are looking destined to end their Newcastle careers with a whimper.
They’re not the only ones, either. Newcastle thought they had their next £100m player not so long ago. In reality, they had a purple-patch star who has followed the same path as Miguel Almiron ever since.
Newcastle star is becoming their next Almiron under Jaissle
When Almiron scored 11 goals in all competitions during 22/23, including a goal of the season contender against Fulham. Newcastle thought they had finally unlocked the best version of their winger. Next to Alexander Isak, the Magpies believed they finally had a second talisman to carry the torch.
An excellent season quickly turned into a purple patch, however, as Almiron scored just five goals one year later and six the season after that before leaving for the MLS.
A purple patch can become one of the harshest scams in modern football, but Newcastle have seemingly fallen for it for a second time. This time, it’s Lewis Hall who has dramatically dropped off.
The left-back was considered one of the best in his position last season and the season before that. He was high on Manchester United’s radar, who refused to pay Newcastle’s valuation. Those at St James’ Park thought they had a £100m player on their hands. He was set to tread the same path as Isak and Tonali before him.
Even when other stars departed, keeping hold of Hall was supposed to provide the Magpies with a major victory – a player that could lead Newcastle into a new era with a new manager. That simply hasn’t been the case, however.
|
Premier League per 90 |
Hall 25/26 |
Hall 26/27 |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
2,179 |
809 |
|
Chances created |
1.03 |
1.11 |
|
Duel success |
54.3% |
46.7% |
|
Distance covered |
11.4 km |
10.9 km |
|
Recoveries |
5.53 |
6.9 |
The numbers tell an interesting story. From a technical standpoint, Hall is actually performing better than last season – creating more chances and making more recoveries per 90. It’s from a physical standpoint that he has dropped off in alarming fashion.
The left-back is winning fewer duels, dropping below 50%, and is covering less distance. Whether that’s a symptom of the confusion that Jaissle’s system is creating remains unknown, but it’s certainly a problem for Newcastle.
If they can’t get Hall back to his best form out of possession, then the writing may be on the wall for his Tyneside career, which was once full of promise.
