Eddie Howe admits Newcastle face ‘deadly mix’ as confidence fades

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe cut a frustrated figure after another narrow Premier League defeat, admitting his side are caught in a “deadly mix” of conceding goals and failing to score as confidence continues to ebb away.

Newcastle were beaten 1-0 by a depleted Manchester United side at Old Trafford, a result that left several players visibly distraught at full-time. Fabian Schär, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimarães were among those who looked inconsolable as the Magpies slipped to 11th in the table.

It also marked just one win from nine away league matches this season — a record that threatens to derail pre-season ambitions of finishing inside the top five.

Speaking after the match, Howe insisted commitment is not the issue — but admitted belief is draining from his squad.

“Very rarely have I gone away and thought the players haven’t wanted to win or tried to or given everything,” Howe said. “You could see today we came with the right attitude, the right mentality, the right motivation — but we are a team who are lacking in confidence.

“We are finding a way to concede goals and we are not scoring goals, and it is a deadly mix for us.”

Despite the latest setback, Howe maintained Newcastle are not far from rediscovering consistency.

“I think we are closer to finding the consistency we crave. We have to be strong because I think we are close.”

The defeat leaves Newcastle facing a sobering reality. If their first-half results are mirrored after the turn of the year, a mid-table finish now looks the most likely outcome — well short of expectations set when the season began.

The upcoming fixture list offers little respite, with away trips to Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace still to come. Howe acknowledged that momentum, not motivation, is now the key missing ingredient.

“You can talk and train, but it is winning games,” he told Chronicle Live. “This is a team that has real quality and good character.”

Perhaps most concerning is Newcastle’s defensive record. The Magpies have now gone 11 consecutive matches without a clean sheet, with their last shutout coming back in October.

Howe was blunt in his assessment.

“We are not ducking the issue,” he said. “We need to keep more clean sheets — we haven’t kept one in a long time in the Premier League and that is not good enough.

“And we need to score more goals.”

Even when performances have shown promise — such as the strong first half against Chelsea earlier this month — Newcastle have failed to sustain control or turn dominance into results.

Newcastle’s next opportunity comes quickly, with a trip to Burnley on 30 December. Howe admitted he would gladly accept an ugly, narrow win to restore belief.

Burnley have managed just three league victories and have conceded 34 goals this season, but Newcastle’s own fragility means nothing can be taken for granted.

Having followed Newcastle closely in recent weeks, performances suggest a side hovering just short of a breakthrough — but without results, pressure inevitably builds.

Tuesday night’s trip to Burnley represents more than just three points. It is a chance for Newcastle to rediscover defensive solidity, ease the psychological burden on the squad and prevent the season from drifting into mid-table obscurity.

Whether Howe’s belief that they are “close” proves accurate may be decided in the coming fortnight.

Can Newcastle finally grind out a result at Burnley — or is confidence now their biggest opponent?