Will the real Newcastle United please stand up? European football return hopes are fading fast

Will the real Newcastle United please stand up?

Two weeks ago, as the Premier League prepare for the final international break of the calendar year, the mood surrounding the Magpies was overwhelmingly positive after a Carabao Cup win against Chelsea and back-to-back Premier League victories against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

With what appeared to be a favourable set of pre-Christmas league fixtures and a Carabao Cup quarter-final home tie against Brentford lying in wait, there were high hopes the Magpies could have set themselves up for an exciting second half of the season by the time the festive decorations begin gathering dust in the loft once again.

The truth is they still can do exactly that and head into the new year with a genuine chance of ending the club’s painfully long wait for silverware and securing a place in European competition after narrowly missing out last season. However, it can not be denied that Monday’s home defeat against struggling West Ham United has clouded the thoughts at St. James’ Park and the drop-off in performance from the win at Nottingham Forest should be viewed as a genuine concern.

Was it over-confidence or complacency? Did Eddie Howe make errors with his team selection or was the Magpies boss let down by the players he trusted? Or perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between those two possibilities. Quite simply, the performance against the Hammers lacked any inkling of the energy, tempo and intensity that were hallmarks of Newcastle’s mini upturn in form prior to the international break. Indeed, the achievements of several Magpies stars during the break should have only added to the feel-good factor within Howe’s squad after Sandro Tonali, Miguel Almiron and Anthony Gordon all scored for their countries and full-back duo Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall were both handed their first senior England caps.

Yet from almost the first minute, something seemed to be missing in Newcastle’s performance. The balance in midfield and attacking areas that was rightfully lauded after the comeback win at Forest was conspicuous by its absence. After a largely accomplished defensive display at the City Ground, the unavailability of Dan Burn through a suspension seemed to disrupt the Magpies back four, with summer signing Lloyd Kelly looking nervous and awkward in possession.

Alexander Isak struggled to make an impact in a game where he had been honoured with a ‘Wor Flags’ display prior to kick-off and there was little end product in wide areas, which played no small part in the Sweden international being so quiet throughout. There is a feeling Howe’s loyalty to certain players, which was once admirable, could and should be tested by poor performances earlier this week - although there was little to enthuse in those introduced to the action from the bench during the defeat.

One performance, no matter how poor, can not be allowed to cloud what can still be a promising season. However, it has changed the complexion of what does lie ahead as Howe and his squad now travel to another struggling side in Crystal Palace this weekend. Losing against another side at the wrong end of the table would provoke further questions over the direction in which the Magpies are heading and whether they are genuine contenders for a place in European competition. But perhaps the most pertinent question would be who are the real Newcastle United? You feel we may well know by the time we all sit down for Christmas dinner late next month.