Dan Burn insists Newcastle United's recent slump is down to 'mentality' rather than the tactical system implemented by head coach Matthias Jaissle, following the team's 1-0 home defeat to Everton on Monday.
The Magpies have lost four of their five games in all competitions since the last international break. They travel to Fulham this afternoon looking to stop their slide down the Premier League table before the upcoming international break.
Burn's return and the recent run
Burn missed the start of the season with an ankle injury but has returned to the starting XI for the last three matches, which brought a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace followed by back-to-back defeats to Everton. He has watched from the sidelines as Jaissle's setup has been criticised, with Newcastle looking too easy to play through and lacking a goal threat.
But Burn believes the issues stem from a lack of confidence and 'mentality' rather than systemic problems with Jaissle's approach.
What Burn said
"A similar message to what I've just said, I think. He said the same thing," Burn told Chronicle Live. "From the first minute to the last minute, that wasn't a performance that he expected from us. What we prepared for, and all the work that the staff put in to prepare us for games."
"A lot of the time, it probably isn't tactical, it's more of a mentality thing from us. Not winning enough duels, not doing probably the ugly side of the game, which sometimes gives you that little bit of luck to get the game over."
"[There is] Probably a lack of confidence, I think, at both ends. We sort of feel that towards the end when we're chasing a game and we just need a little bit of decisiveness, but we're snatching at a few bits."
"It's a long time since we've kept a home clean sheet now, so fine margins at this level still. I think we've been done by a quick free-kick. At this level, if you want to win games, those are the moments that you've got control over."
"I think it's the confidence thing. I think when it's going well and we've got that good momentum, it just seems to happen and we're not really thinking about it. But you can feel it a little bit. We're thinking about things too much when we're going forward and probably not as fluid as we'd like to be."
Adapting to Jaissle's methods
Reports this week have suggested some Newcastle players are unsure how Jaissle wants them to play, but the head coach used his press conference to dismiss those claims. Jaissle insisted his door is always open for player feedback, and Burn said the players are adapting to his methods but it may take more time for that to show on the pitch.
"I do think we are [adapting to Jaissle's methods]," Burn said. "But I think you still have to understand we've had a two-week pre-season and we're 11 games into the season. So we're three months in, but there's still plenty of time for us to learn and get that."
"I think when you're picking up results, it does build confidence, but we're very inconsistent at the moment and I think that's where a lot of confidence is coming from. I'll say what I said before: we need that stability and unity between us as players, us as a staff and us as a club to push on and have that us-against-the-world mentality."
