Howe must now ruthlessly ditch 4/10 Newcastle dud

Newcastle United built up some positivity during their thrilling midweek draw against Liverpool but were swept aside in tempestuous conditions against Brentford this weekend.

The 4-2 scoreline was just, all things considered, the Bees proving to be far more clinical with their shooting throughout the frenetic encounter.

The two sides began the weekend level on 20 points, but the Bees have flown ahead and left the Magpies grounded. Newcastle have it all to do, with plenty of lacklustre performances sure to leave the manager incensed.

Newcastle’s worst performers vs Brentford

While Eddie Howe’s side appear to be finding their shooting boots after uninspiring attacking displays throughout the opening months of the campaign, there is still much work to be done before the requisite fluency is struck.

At the rear, Fabian Schar, hero in midweek, suffered a calamitous defensive display, failing to stand firm as he tried and failed to placate the rampant Bees attacking threat.

Newcastle also lost the midfield battle and thus failed to establish a foothold from which they could control the flow of the fixture. The hosts won 63% of their tackles, whereas United won just 42%, as per Sofascore.

Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff should both hang their heads after flattering to deceive, but it was Joelinton who was the worst of a rotten bunch and must now be dropped. Surely.

Joelinton’s game in numbers vs Brentford

There’s no question that Joelinton brings energy and power to the Newcastle midfield, but it needs to be tempered and balanced with greater control and direction.

joelinton-premier-league-injury-willock-howe-newcastle

The Chronicle Live’s Lee Ryder didn’t hold back in condemning the collective performance from the Magpies, though he did brand Joelinton as one of the measliest out there, handing him a 4/10 match score.

The correspondent wrote: ‘Not at it. Switched off too many times not least for goal number three as Nathan Collins, the man he was marking, calmly walked through to score. No surprise he was hooked.’

Joelinton – Performance vs Brentford
Match Stats	#
Minutes played	60′
Goals	0
Assists	0
Touches	36
Shots (on target)	0 (0)
Pass completion	22/24 (92%)
Key passes	1
Dribbles (completed)	2 (1)
Tackles + interceptions	2
Total duels (won)	12 (4)
Stats via Sofascore

Sandro Tonali sat on the bench throughout the first half and will be desperate to reclaim a starting berth during next weekend’s St. James’ Park contest against Leicester City.

Joe Willock was not involved but will fancy his chances too, for he is a ball-carrying specialist but brings greater control through his passing.

Ultimately, Joelinton – who lost eight duels in total – flattered to deceive, ran around and made himself look big but failed to sharpen his combativeness to an accurate point nor influence the fixture positively. The fact that goalkeeper Nick Pope (42) recorded more touches than his 36 says it all.

Tonali, who replaced him on the hour mark, completed 87% of his passes and won both of his duels. It’s clear that Newcastle need to improve, and must bench Joelinton for the next match.