5 Things That Need to Change to Get Our Season Back on Track 🔄

👋 Unfortunately, the numbers don’t lie. Our attacking edge has dulled, our conversion rate has plummeted and Eddie's high-intensity startegy just isn't catching opponents off guard anymore.

So what’s going wrong and what can we do to get back on track?

In this week's NUFC Pitch Notes 👇

• 🔄 5 things that need to change to get us back on track.

• 🏟️ The Chelsea rematch at St James' Park this Wednesday.

• 🩲 Introducing NUFC’s official underwear partnership.

🗓️ ON THIS DAY

On this day in 2009, Chris Hughton was appointed as the manager of Newcastle United on a permanent basis, stepping up from his role as caretaker.

Hughton ultimately lead the Magpies to promotion back to the Premier League in the following 2010/11 season.

This also happened to be the day that Mike Ashley once again announced that he would be taking the club off the market after failing to find a buyer.

📢 THE TALKING POINT

5 Things That Need to Change to Get Newcastle Back on Track 🔄

Unfortunately the numbers tell a story we can't ignore - our attacking sharpness has faded.

This season, we’re converting just 30% of big chances compared to almost 50% last year.

Eddie’s strategy has always been about intensity, relentless pressing and hard work.

This high-energy approach caught opponents off guard, helping us win back possession quickly, making us one of the most difficult teams to play against in the premier league.

But now, our opponents seem to have had enough time to analyse and adjust.

Our high-press system isn't catching teams off guard anymore - our high turnovers per match have fallen from 8.1 last season to just 5.5 this season.

They’re starting to anticipate our moves, nullifying our high press and capitalizing on predictable patterns.

This season, simply working harder isn’t enough.

It’s time to play smarter—finding ways to adjust pressing intensity, be more flexible with formations, and add tactical surprises to keep our opponents on their toes.

Here’s what I think needs to change 👇

• 🎨 More creativity in the final third - Our xG (Expected Goals) per shot has dropped, indicating we're not creating high-quality chances.

• 🎯 Improve our crossing accuracy - We're attempting more crosses but completing fewer, which is killing our attacks.

• ⚽ Get Isak more involved - He's averaging fewer touches per 90 minutes than last season; we need to feed him more quality balls, more often.

• 🔄 Improve our in-game management - Howe's substitutions have been predictable. We need more reactive changes based on how the match is unfolding.

• 🧠 More tactical variability - Perhaps a formation shift in certain matches could help us to maintain unpredictability in our gameplay.

🤔 WHO AM I?