Jamie Carragher has admitted he is 'flummoxed' by Newcastle United's recent performances under Matthias Jaissle, saying he fears the club could be in for a long, tough season.
The former Liverpool defender was speaking after the Magpies' 1-0 home defeat to Everton on Monday night at St James' Park, a result that followed a 3-1 Carabao Cup loss to the same opponents on Merseyside.
Carragher's Concerns
Carragher, a Sky Sports pundit, said he did not expect to be describing a Jaissle side as boring, given the head coach's background in the Red Bull model of football.
“I fear a little bit for Newcastle United, I think it could be a long, tough season,” he said on Monday Night Football. “Watching Newcastle United of late, especially at home, it feels flat and a little bit boring, and that was one thing I didn’t think I would ever be describing Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle as.”
He added: “You think of the system that he has come from, the Red Bull model and how they like to play. At times, those types of teams and managers can leave themselves open at the back, but it’s front-footed, aggressive, and gets the crowd involved. We’ve just not seen any of that at all tonight. I’m a little bit flummoxed watching it.”
Season of Transition
Newcastle began the season well, being denied an opening-day win over Liverpool by an injury-time penalty before beating Tottenham 2-0 away from home.
However, a drop in performance levels has seen some heavy defeats. While a win at Crystal Palace eased the pressure, the team has since suffered back-to-back losses against David Moyes' Everton.
The struggles follow a summer that saw a change in head coach late in pre-season and the loss of arguably their best three players, a combination that was always likely to have a destabilising effect.
Tough Run Ahead
Newcastle face Arsenal next at St James' Park, following this weekend's match with Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Carragher is expecting another difficult game for the Magpies on current form, having watched Fulham impress in their recent match at Aston Villa.
“I watched Fulham at Aston Villa over the weekend they were really good,” he added. “That will be a tough game. When you look at some of the games they’ve got coming. I think it’s going to be a tough season for Newcastle.”
“They’ve got a lot of young players, they’ve got a young manager in there, but the crowd are expecting a lot more.”
