Newcastle United head into Monday's Premier League match against Everton with head coach Matthias Jaissle's warning still ringing in their ears after the 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Jaissle revealed he was in "shock" at the margin of defeat given the nature of the performance on the banks of the Mersey. He did not play down the significance of the exit from a competition many felt represented the best chance of a trophy this season.
Jaissle's message: Wake up in the penalty area
Instead, he told players afterwards that they need to wake up in the penalty area and start taking their chances. Incredibly, Newcastle had 28 goal attempts and made 37 entries into the box, but only managed to net a late consolation through a Dan Burn header.
Jaissle admitted after the match: "When it comes to scoring goals, we need to be more efficient out of so many occasions. How often we enter the box of Everton, there needs to be more than only one goal."
Injury concerns ahead of Everton clash
Jaissle goes into the game with a few injury concerns, not least in attack with Matias Fernandez-Pardo facing late tests as he tries to shake off an illness. William Osula suffered a knock on the ankle after James Tarkowski's big challenge in the first half.
It means the Denmark international will be touch and go for Monday night and all eyes will be on the frontline Jaissle is able to name against the Toffees. Jaissle said in the lead-up to the game at St James' Park: "He twisted his ankle when he took the shot. Right now, it's too early to say whether he will be fit for Monday."
Defensive jitters and a poor start to the season
Newcastle will also need to shake off some defensive jitters after errors in the goals conceded and a lack of awareness thrown in. After play stopped for the second goal, Everton taunted the Magpies with a TikTok post reading: "Play to the whistle".
Jaissle said: "We need to just avoid these individual mistakes, especially where the opposition is not that dominant on the pitch. We need to improve for the next match on Monday."
Newcastle have conceded an alarming 14 goals in their first eight matches and have a goal difference of minus two. That was caused by heavy 4-1 defeats at Coventry City and Leeds United as Jaissle tries to work through early teething problems on Tyneside.
