Micah Richards has a theory as to why Newcastle United were not at the races against Crystal Palace.
It was a really worrying performance from the Magpies, who should have been full of confidence after back-to-back wins, including that emphatic victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
On top of that, Newcastle United had more than a week to prepare. There was time to rest, as well as ensure there was a tactical blueprint to beat a Crystal Palace side that have improved so much under Oliver Glasner.
Yet Newcastle failed to really lay a glove on Palace, much to Eddie Howe‘s frustration. He was left baffled by his players, and will be absolutely desperate for them to respond on Saturday. The Magpies’ next game is at home to bottom of the league Sheffield United.
Newcastle had plenty of time to prepare for the Crystal Palace game
Newcastle were really poor against Palace, and it is difficult to understand why. The message all season has been that the players need more time on the training ground, and they got exactly that ahead of this fixture.
Yet the Magpies looked lost on Wednesday night, unable to prove why they are European contenders that are hoping to be in next season’s Europa League. Those ambitions took a major hit, with Newcastle’s loss coinciding with a Manchester United win.
It was a really bad night at the office for Eddie Howe and his players, and Premier League pundit Micah Richards has a theory on why it all went wrong in South London.
Match Of The Day debate what went wrong for Newcastle United
Richards was on BBC Match Of The Day on Wednesday night, alongside Danny Murphy and host Gary Lineker.
They discussed Newcastle’s defeat to Crystal Palace, reflecting on what was a ‘poor night’ for the Magpies.
Lineker: “Poor night. They had a bit of a gap as well, you thought they would come back flying.”
Richards: “Yeah, poor for the sixth place obviously. But only two shots on target, if you take it 11 days back against Spurs when they won 4-0 the contrast was maybe, maybe the rest was too much.”
Murphy: “I think it’s more their away form. They have been a force at home but away they have struggled massively this season.”
Lineker: “They are a different side away from home, no question about that.”
Newcastle’s away record this season is not good enough
I am not sure if I completely agree with Richards’ suggestion. The rest should have revitalised the Newcastle players, but it did appear to have the opposite effect. But the bigger issue appeared to be Crystal Palace’s momentum, having won two games in quick succession against Liverpool and West Ham United.
The Eagles were full of confidence, and we could not handle them. We were unable to match them for the entire 90 minutes, which is massively concerning given how competitive Howe’s team usually is.
But we are a different beast away from home, as Danny Murphy says. Our record away from St James’ Park has been shocking this season, and it only got worse on Wednesday night.
The Magpies have played 16 of their 19 away games this season, only winning four of them. In total, Howe’s side have picked up 14 points on the road, with the defeat at Selhurst Park their 10th away loss of the entire campaign.
It is an extremely worrying record, and something Howe needs to focus on fixing for next season. He could also do with finding an immediate solution, as three of our final five games are away from St James’ Park – including what could be a European decider against Manchester United on May 15th.
The post 'Too much': Micah Richards has a theory on why Newcastle United were so poor against Palace last night appeared first on Geordie Boot Boys.