Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle is not panicking despite the club's first back-to-back defeats of the season, with sources close to him insisting he is relishing the challenge of managing the club even amid increased scrutiny.
The Magpies followed a 4-1 loss at Coventry City with a 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, their first at St James' Park this campaign. The results have drawn criticism of Jaissle's tactics and the team's lack of cutting edge, but the 38-year-old has faced this level of pressure before in his career.
Jaissle's pedigree and calm response
Jaissle won trophies in Austria with RB Salzburg and was a back-to-back Asian Champions League winner with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. Despite the increased scrutiny, sources close to him insist he is loving living in the city and remains committed to the job.
Talk of him being too attached to his 4-2-3-1 system has been dismissed by those close to him, who say he has consulted senior players about the setup. The squad remains fully aligned with his approach, with Joelinton and Malick Thiaw publicly defending him, while Lewis Hall, Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey have also appreciated his methods.
Flexibility in formation
Jaissle does not intend to abandon his principles but is willing to tweak his formation. He has already shown flexibility this season, and he explained his approach to Chronicle Live earlier this month.
"It is depending on how you see the formation," he said. "Often we start out of the 4-2-3-1 so we play with three midfielders. If the six tends to be slightly higher like we had the approach in the last match then you have two eights. So don't make it as fixed as you may think."
"There are slight differences. If he is five metres higher then we are talking about an eight. If he is then maybe again five metres higher we are maybe talking about a 10. If you are talking about being five metres higher again you are talking about two strikers so let's try and keep it flexible. We want to bring the players in the best possible position where they can shine but also where they can help the team."
Midfield and attack concerns
The midfield is where solutions need to be found, especially after the departure of Bruno Guimaraes in the summer. Nico Gonzalez has often looked exposed, but Joelinton's return is expected to make the midfield more compact. Dan Burn's return to the starting XI is also seen as crucial, with his voice at the back viewed as a big miss.
The blunt attack is also an issue, with patience needed for summer signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo, while Wissa's form has dropped off since the international break. Will Osula's return is eagerly awaited, and the right-hand side partnership of Anthony Elanga and Amar Dedic has been a big miss due to injuries.
Looking ahead to Crystal Palace and Everton
Internally, Newcastle's performance at Leeds was viewed as unacceptable, but the defeats to Coventry and Aston Villa were assessed differently. Jaissle shares the frustration of supporters but believes there are things to build on. The mood is calm inside the training ground, but there is an acceptance that the tide has to turn quickly.
Jaissle will look to avoid the fate of Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage, who is under pressure after a 5-0 defeat to Brighton. Newcastle travel to Selhurst Park this weekend before a midweek trip to Everton in the Carabao Cup fourth round, with a quarter-final place up for grabs. The next two games could be a real mood setter for where Jaissle's Newcastle are headed.
