Arsenal vs Newcastle: How Eddie Howe's 'bullies' became too nice

Newcastle United reporterPublished8 hours ago386 Comments"They haven't played against any team like this."

This was not the Newcastle United that a frustrated Mikel Arteta was used to facing at Emirates Stadium, as the Arsenal manager reflected on a goalless draw in January 2023.

Newcastle have had far more memorable results under Eddie Howe against the Premier League title challengers.

But this particular stalemate was viewed as a significant step forward internally, after dogged Newcastle refused to roll over, as they had previously, in north London.

It was a night when Newcastle ruffled one or two feathers.

Such was the visitors' determination to get a result, unused substitute Jamaal Lascelles was booked for obstructing an Arsenal throw-in late on, while the usually measured Howe confronted Arteta on the touchline after growing tired of the Spaniard's incessant complaints to the fourth official.

Just a few days later, the Newcastle head coach declared: "We're not here to be popular and get other teams to like us - we're here to compete."

However, his side have lost that edge as they prepare to return to the same ground on Saturday (17:30 BST).

With Newcastle languishing in 14th, and his future coming under increased scrutiny, Howe accepts they have become too easy to beat.

So what's going wrong?

Arsenal v Newcastle

Saturday, 25 April at 17:30 BST

Listen on SoundsListen to full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds, with live text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.

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Published6 days ago'Players need to take responsibility'It was just last month that Newcastle defeated Manchester United with 10 men, recorded a rare away win at Chelsea and came within seconds of a famous victory against Barcelona at St James' Park.

But this flaky team have since suffered a series of damaging losses, including a 2-1 home defeat by in-form Bournemouth last week.

The momentum of that game should have been with the hosts following William Osula's equaliser midway through the second half.

However, fragile Newcastle have conceded the most goals after the 75-minute mark (19) in the Premier League for a reason.

The sight of so many Newcastle players jogging back as goalscorer Adrien Truffert drifted into the box undetected in the 85th minute summed up the listlessness that has gripped them.

So, too, did the bowing of heads after the ball hit the net as this side's confidence plummeted further.

Kieran Trippier was the only player to visibly recoil before the substitute grabbed the ball and beckoned his dazed team-mates forward in an attempt to quickly get the game back under way.

Trippier felt it was his down to him to front up and speak to reporters in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, and he did so again in a separate round of interviews before the trip to Arsenal.

The former England international is leaving the club at the end of the season, but he remains one of the few vocal leaders in the building.

"It's tough," Trippier said. "Especially at home, since I've been at the club, we have been a real force. We have been tough to beat. We have been feared.

"I just feel we have come away from that a little bit. I don't know why.

"I'm not going to stand here and make excuses. We have conceded too many goals late on and it's us players who need to take responsibility - nobody else."

So many of these players made history by ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy, and qualifying for the Champions League.

But this side currently look a pale imitation of the team who won the Carabao Cup at Wembley last season.

The number of games drained Newcastle have played, the uncertainty surrounding the futures of key players and the consequences of a turbulent window last summer should not completely excuse a run of eight defeats in 11 in the Premier League.

Newcastle once "bullied teams", in the words of defender Dan Burn, but recent defeats against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace were all the more striking given the increased recovery and training time Howe has been afforded this month, after a relentless schedule eased.

The head coach recognised on Friday that "we have to find ways to get the players to respond better to us".

Just as Newcastle struggle to build on goals, they are also leaky at the back - which is a dangerous combination.

No wonder, then, no other team has thrown away more points from winning positions (25) in the top flight this season.

That is a sobering statistic for any manager - regardless of previous achievements.

The system, the substitutions and the seemingly inevitable drop-off are now becoming a little too predictable.

By contrast, Newcastle's once trademark ability to bounce back from a bruising defeat has deserted them under Howe in recent weeks.

How the head coach needs to summon a response and oversee a battling performance at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

"The team always performs in line with the individuals within it," Howe said. "I think we have lost a little bit of our experience, a little bit of our know-how.

"The duel aspect, we certainly haven't performed as well as we have in previous seasons, so they're things that we're fully aware of.

"Our hallmark in previous seasons was that and we need to retain that to be successful."

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