Premier League news: Newcastle 2-3 Brentford – Keith Andrews praise, transfer flops, buzzing Bees
It was back-to-back home defeats for Newcastle United on Saturday as Dango Outtara’s 85th-minute winner saw Brentford complete the Premier League double over the Magpies.
The hosts remain in 12th, having now suffered three consecutive losses, while the win pushes the Bees to within touching distance of the European places.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Mosaddek Abu discusses the key takeaways from a bruising 3-2 defeat for the Toon.
Toothless Toon attack strikes again
It is becoming the same old story for Newcastle: in each game they play, there is nothing to show from their attack.
Yoane Wissa had a chance 24 minutes into the game just after the Magpies took the lead, but that was about it in terms of chances.
For the rest of the game, they struggled to break down the Brentford defence, except for centre-back Malick Thiaw, who gave Caoimhin Kelleher a scare.
The attack itself was a no-show, lacking fluidity, creativity, and imagination.
Bruno Guimarães’ penalty was then their only way back into this game after they fell behind for the first time.
Newcastle were accordingly booed off the pitch at the end of each half, something that, from the 52,032 in attendance, spoke volumes about the display shown by the team.
It was the same underwhelming attacking performance we’ve become accustomed to seeing in recent weeks.
MORE FROM MOSADDEK ABU: Travel sickness costing Newcastle Champions League qualification
Magpies surrender yet another lead
Newcastle have lost 19 points from winning positions this season, which is more than any other side in the league.
They have also conceded 10 goals in their last three games, winning just once in their previous eight.
The issue is that they simply aren’t comfortable with the ball and are flat in their performances.
They scored first against Liverpool before conceding twice in two minutes and against Brentford, they scored first from a set piece but failed to push on yet again.
After they gave away the lead, they lucked their way into a penalty, then failed to trouble the Brentford defence by barely stringing any chances together.
The Magpies look disjointed, low on confidence, and lacking intensity, a shell of the side that won a first domestic trophy in 70 years last term and finished in the Champions League places.
The team has slumped to 12th in the Premier League table – as close to the relegation zone as they are to the Champions League places.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Championship news: Can Phil Parkinson steer Hollywood-inspired Wrexham to another promotion?
Summer transfers haven’t paid off
Newcastle spent £250 million on six players in the summer, yet aside from Malick Thiaw, none of them have made any impact.
Nick Woltemade made a positive start by scoring five goals in six matches but has since dried up, and when he starts, he struggles to be a difference-maker.
Jacob Ramsey stood out against PSG but has largely failed to transition in the league.
Wissa lacks confidence and isn’t sharp, especially considering the injury setback that he had earlier in the season.
Anthony Elanga, meanwhile, has started to show signs of the player he was at Nottingham Forest, but it’s a matter of how long it takes to get there.
Aaron Ramsdale doesn’t look comfortable in goal and isn’t going to start many games over Pope unless the latter gets injured again.
Newcastle’s summer was a mess, to be fair, as they missed out on targets such as João Pedro, Hugo Ekitike, and Benjamin Šeško.
The club was also distracted by the Alexander Isak saga and then scrambled to get Wissa and Woltemade at the last minute, which hasn’t improved their attack in any way.
Thiaw has been the only summer signing to work, but against Brentford, it looked like the load of games had caught up with him.
These signings haven’t provided the boost Newcastle hoped for and, if anything, have been mixed in with the out-of-form players who have been at the club for a long time.
Squad depth has been the enemy throughout the season, and with a relentless schedule still lying in wait, the road ahead doesn’t look great for the Toon.
READ MORE: Carabao Cup final against Man City offers Arsenal a chance to complete evolution under Mikel Arteta
Manager of the season contender
It’s safe to say that Keith Andrews has steadied the ship at Brentford after a chaotic summer that saw them lose Thomas Frank and key players such as Bryan Mbeumo and Wissa.
The Bees were amongst the teams people predicted to be involved in a relegation fight, but Andrews and his side have proved everyone wrong.
They have taken points off Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United; delivered back-to-back wins at Villa Park and St James’ Park; and managed a first victory at Newcastle in 92 years.
They’ve been resilient, hard to beat in defence, and troubling at set pieces, which was their strong suit under Thomas Frank.
Newcastle barely managed to keep Brentford out of their box on Saturday, were beaten on the counterattack, and had a hard time breaking down their defence.
Brentford have scored 11 goals from set pieces, sit seventh in the league with 12 wins, and have only suffered eight losses.
With no previous experience managing in the top flight, Andrews has led the Bees to being 10 clear of their former manager and his Spurs side.
Andrews and his team are now potentially competing for one of the European spots – something nobody would have predicted.
But credit where it’s due: Brentford have caused problems for most sides in the Premier League, making the Gtech Community Stadium a fortress.
Indeed, they’ve won seven games at home, losing once and drawing three.
That home form has been close to that of newly promoted Sunderland, except for the fact that the Black Cats remain unbeaten at the Stadium of Light.
To top it off, back-to-back away wins against Aston Villa and Newcastle United have now completed the league double against both sides.
After a disappointing loss to Nottingham Forest a few weeks back, the Bees have bounced back to showcase the resilience and positive mentality instilled into the side by Andrews.
Currently sitting in seventh place, level on points with Liverpool, Brentford have a good chance of disrupting bigger teams’ quests for European football.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: Everton Women: Sacking of Brian Sorensen signals change of direction amid WSL relegation fears
What’s next for both teams?
Up next for Newcastle is an away trip on Tuesday night to Tottenham.
Spurs are struggling for consistency at home, with their last win coming against Brentford back on the 6th of December.
However, the Magpies’ recent away form hasn’t been great and their own supporters booed the team off the pitch on Saturday night.
With all eyes on them to get this right, a huge fixture lies ahead.
Meanwhile, Brentford are back at home and will welcome Arsenal to the Gtech.
The last time these two sides met was back in December at the Emirates, which Arsenal won 2-0.
READ NEXT: From Leicester’s miracle to modern reality: What’s changed in the Premier League since 2016
