Newcastle United icon Alan Shearer says there is no reason to panic following the Magpies’ heartbreaking defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
Oscar Bobb’s stoppage-time goal guaranteed that Manchester City took all three points after Newcastle pushed so hard to maintain their advantage.
It was an exciting game at St James’ Park, and Newcastle had been winning for a long time. After Bernardo Silva put Manchester City ahead, a quickfire double turned the game around.
Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon scored within minutes of each other to put Newcastle up, although this was before Kevin De Bruyne entered the game.
His second-half arrival signaled the start of the end, as he scored and assisted in just his second Premier League game of the season. His immediate influence on his comeback might be a game changer in the Premier League title chase.
For Newcastle, it was heartbreaking. They sat down and attempted to protect their lead, but were unable to. There have now been numerous complaints about the Magpies’ tactics, with fans asking why they did not push for the third goal.
That critique appears severe. Man City crushed us in the second half, and leading against a team of that caliber knowing you don’t have a proper reserve must be quite emotionally draining.
Howe’s players will have wanted a third, but they were forced to use survival mode.
Sadly, it resulted in a painful defeat. It comes at a time when we are desperate for points, but we should be quite proud of our performance.
In the eyes of Alan Shearer, there is no need to panic, and he still thinks Newcastle have enough to enjoy a decent season.
Alan Shearer is optimistic despite Newcastle defeat
Shearer spoke on Newcastle’s latest setback on the most recent episode of The Rest Is Football podcast.
“The mood is okay. He said, “Really fine.”
“I believe everyone knows the issue; yesterday would have been an excellent example of being able to adjust things in the last half hour because the guys who were there were running on empty and needed some fresh legs. Willock, Harvey Barnes, and Callum Wilson would normally be on the roster, but they are all injured.
“There is no panic. It is what it is, and I thought they performed very well. They attempted to steal the point by sitting back, but it’s a difficult task that you’ll constantly be up against.
And it showed as they are bringing on Kevin de Bruyne in the last 20 minutes and Newcastle are hanging on.
“So, yeah, as much as it’s disappointing to lose the game and it hurt with the manner it was lost but no panic. I think everyone understands last year they overachieved and this season might be a levelling off but I still think hey might get into fifth or sixth.”
Top six finish is going to be extremely difficult for Newcastle
As Shearer points out, Newcastle would have a very powerful bench if everyone was totally fit. Instead, Eddie Howe chose to bring on only one player: Lewis Hall.
Tiredness and injuries should not be used as an excuse, but it is easy to see how serious the situation is becoming.
If Howe had more options, he might have been able to orchestrate a memorable triumph. Instead, his squad is tenth in the Premier League and may struggle to return to Europe.
But Shearer disagrees. He still feels that fifth or sixth place is possible, and his optimism is admirable. However, that will be incredibly difficult.
For context, the Magpies are 11 points behind Tottenham, who are presently sixth.
Newcastle has the ability to go on a run and close the gap. The talent is unquestionably there. And you don’t get to play the world champions every week.
With a less demanding timetable, Newcastle can begin to improve. That will happen, but the concern is that the harm has already been done.
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