Staggering Newcastle fact piles pressure on Eddie Howe after huge Arsenal defeat
Newcastle's rotten defence continues to contribute to a concerning slide down the Premier League table as Eddie Howe is left to stew over another damaging defeat.
The Magpies slumped to a 4-1 reverse at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday evening - their ninth consecutive league game without a clean sheet. A Sven Botman own goal got the Gunners up and running, before Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior all netted for the hosts.
The sheer facts lay out the immense amount of work that Howe has to do behind the scenes. The defeat against the Gunners was already the fourth time this year that Newcastle have conceded at least three goals.
Meanwhile, in their last 12 Premier League games since early December, the Magpies have shipped an eye-watering 31 goals. While shipping goals against title contenders Arsenal is one thing, Luton, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have all left Newcastle’s defence looking woefully exposed over recent weeks.
As it stands, Newcastle are the most fragile side in the Premier League. Over the past six matchdays, only Burnley have conceded more than Newcastle’s 16.
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It will certainly concern Magpies boss Howe and he revealed as such during his post-match assessment. Speaking after the game, he said: "In the first half we weren't ourselves. The second half was much better until the third goal which knocked us.
"Arsenal were very good, we weren't and we got punished. We were off in most aspects of our games, we didn't do the basics right. Arsenal put us under pressure and we made technical mistakes. Sometimes you have those spells, you have to weather them, but unfortunately, we didn't do that and conceded some bad goals."
Newcastle's defensive record has been awful over recent weeks (Getty Images)What has gone wrong for Newcastle this season? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Newcastle did at least fight to at least give their fans something to cheer. Former Arsenal star Joe Willock pulled a goal back for Howe’s side to ensure that it is still only four games where they have failed to score in the Premier League this term.
But it isn’t their goalscoring that has been a problem. It is now down to Howe to get Newcastle’s defence looking far more assured or their season could potentially be finished as early as next month. The downturn in their defensive solidity has coincided with a worrying run of form.
The North East outfit have claimed just 11 points from their last 12 games - form that is not too dissimilar to that of a side scrambling to retain their top-flight status. Should Howe fail to fix their worrying defensive issues, they could well find themselves in the bottom half sooner rather than later.
Newcastle take on Championship side Blackburn at Ewood Park in midweek. Howe and his Newcastle side will be hoping for a slightly easier defensive examination by John Eustace’s men after what has been another dismal display against Arsenal.
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