Newcastle United face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday, returning to the scene of Eddie Howe's final competitive match in charge five-and-a-half months ago. The Magpies were beaten 2-0 in that May fixture, a result that confirmed a bottom-half Premier League finish.
That defeat followed a flat display in West London heat. Sandro Tonali withdrew with injury in the warm-up, forcing a late tactical reshuffle, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier remained unused substitutes, and Bruno Guimaraes was substituted with injury after one of his quietest performances in four-and-a-half years at the club.
Howe's parting critique
Speaking after the May loss, Howe said: "It was a disappointing performance from us. For a whole host of reasons we weren't quite at the level we needed to be. There were some promising bits but by and large I think Fulham deserved to win."
He added: "We weren't a big enough goal threat in the game, I don't think we defended with enough solidity, we weren't quite right. We tried to change things numerous times in the game but I think it was more of a mental problem than anything else."
That summer, Howe left Newcastle by mutual agreement, and the four players mentioned — Tonali, Gordon, Trippier and Guimaraes — also departed Tyneside.
Jaissle's recent struggles
Matthias Jaissle, who replaced Howe, enjoyed a strong start on the back of a new-manager bounce, but the 38-year-old has since hit similar turbulence. Four defeats in five matches since the last international break have sharpened the focus on problems that echo Howe's final complaints: a lack of goal threat and defensive solidity.
Newcastle have been too easy to play through this season, and the suitability of Jaissle's 'vertical football' system has been questioned. The side were booed off at half-time and full-time in Monday's 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, and the mood has shifted from excitement to frustration.
Pressure at Craven Cottage
Jaissle spoke positively in Thursday's press conference about unity behind the scenes and alignment in his vision across the club. Saturday's match offers a yardstick to judge whether his Newcastle is better, worse, or more of the same compared with Howe's side at the same venue.
Fulham have also changed manager since May, with Marco Silva leaving for Benfica and former Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa taking over. After a difficult start, the Cottagers have taken seven points from the last nine available. Another Newcastle defeat on Saturday would leave the Magpies moving irrefutably in the opposite direction.
