Debacle in Barcelona, defeats against arch-rivals and a tip from Julian Nagelsmann: Eddie Howe is going through his worst crisis as Newcastle coach – with an open outcome.
Newcastle United went into the international break with a defeat that will resonate, and not just because of the unusual fixture list. The 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals AFC Sunderland was so devastating for the Magpies that even their ever-sober coach left the criticism scale open afterwards.
“You can use any words you want, I’m not going to dispute it,” sighed Eddie Howe at his press conference on Sunday. “There’s no excuse for not delivering.” And because this is not the first time this has happened to his team, big questions are being asked in Newcastle that will require an answer in the summer at the latest.
The fact that Howe’s team did not simply fail to beat FC Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, but were dismantled 7-2 at the Camp Nou, is causing just as much alarm as the two derby defeats against promoted Sunderland this season and the table picture after 31 match days: 12th place, behind the Black Cats, already a good distance away from the European Cup places.
Howe’s project has stalled – two line-ups speak volumes
In four and a half years, Howe, supported by the new millions from Saudi Arabia, has turned a Premier League 19th into a two-time Champions League participant and brought the traditional club a title again after 70 years with the League Cup triumph in 2025. The Englishman, who has been seen as a potential national coach for years, is the most successful coach in the club’s recent history – but the whole project has stalled.
Last summer, Newcastle painfully learned on the transfer market that they are still not one of England’s top clubs, with the Premier League’s financial rules further restricting their seemingly endless financial possibilities. And Howe, unlike before, has not managed to make the most of what he has this year.
This is most obvious when you compare the line-ups for the first and last competitive games of the season: Anthony Gordon started as a center forward in both cases, although he is not actually one. The only difference is that Newcastle had not yet spent around €135 million on two new attackers in the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa at the start of the season. But against Sunderland, Nick Woltemade once again started in a more defensive role, Yoane Wissa not at all.
Woltemade is the face of the downturn, but Wissa is the real disappointment
Even after seven months, Howe is still looking for the ideal position for Woltemade in his system. The ex-Stuttgarter, who last scored in the Premier League in December and was not asked to play a minute against Barca, is one of the faces of the downturn in recent months. “He has often played very deep, and when he defends as a six-man, it’s a long way to goal,” national coach Julian Nagelsmann said last week, followed by a sentence that could be interpreted as a slight dig at Howe’s experiments: “I can promise that he won’t be 80 meters away from goal with us.”
At least Woltemade is playing semi-regularly again. Wissa, who scored 19 times for Brentford last season, has so far been a €58 million flop, even though he seemed to be a better fit for Howe’s raid soccer. He is the real disappointment, not Woltemade, but the interim conclusion is that Newcastle have failed to make up for Alexander Isak’s strike departure.
The Magpies need a late show of strength to somehow salvage the season by qualifying for the European Cup, but that is precisely not their strength: they have already squandered 22 points after taking the lead, which also does not reflect well on Howe’s work. Why does his team consistently run out of steam? “We lost control after the break,” he was only forced to admit again against Sunderland.
Unrest looms again in the summer, even if Howe stays
A change of manager before the end of the season is out of the question and the sporting management should continue to fully back Howe. However, Howe still has a few arguments to put forward before the Saudi owners take the next steps in the summer. It is already clear that even without Howe’s replacement, things are likely to become unsettled again. Key players such as Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Valentino Livramento and Gordon may want to move due to a lack of prospects, and may even have to due to financial constraints.
The three-week break offers a good opportunity to tighten things up in sporting and strategic terms. But things don’t even run smoothly when the ball isn’t rolling: Newcastle had to cancel their planned training camp in Dubai due to the Middle East war.