Eddie Howe 'holds hands up' but Newcastle United need £186.7m PSR secret more than ever

It was not supposed to be like this - even after a failure of a summer.

CEO Darren Eales highlighted the 'advantage' of Newcastle United being able to 'go from Saturday to Saturday' without 'European distractions' and drew comparisons to the season when the Magpies finished in the top four. Sporting director Paul Mitchell claimed that 'one thing that has been maybe underplayed is we don't have a very difficult European-positioned game in the week'.

However, Eddie Howe was the first to 'hold my hands up' and admit a lack of European football had 'not been a big advantage' following a 4-2 defeat at Brentford on Saturday. It simply has to be turned into an advantage this week.

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If Newcastle had qualified for Europe, the Magpies would have been in action before the visit of Leicester City at the weekend, but Howe's team instead have a precious few days to prepare for the first of six games in just three weeks. It feels like a pivotal period.

Howe has worked wonders on the training ground over the years - guiding a side with a £186.7m wage bill into the Champions League when eight other teams spent more on salaries in 2023 - and the Newcastle boss recognises the importance of the coming days. Howe is well-aware that 'we need a period where we do some work'.

"Everything comes from the training ground," he said. "Everything comes from the work you do. Everything comes from the mentality of the group. That's the start point."

Newcastle, in truth, look like a side who have not been strengthened in the last two windows and Howe, himself, has warned of the danger of going 'stale'. However, as much as an injection of quality and freshness can be found in the transfer market, Howe has also recognised there needs to be 'innovation' from the coaching team to 'make sure the players are not coming into the same environment'. Such innovation is needed now more than ever following a run of two wins in 11 league games.

To think, just a few weeks ago, Newcastle looked like their old selves. Sean Longstaff was talking about targeting maximum points from the Magpies' next run of fixtures and the midfielder was hardly speaking out of turn. Newcastle, after all, had gone into the final international break of the campaign on a high after defeating high-flying Nottingham Forest and Arsenal, and knocking Chelsea out of the cup.

However, Newcastle have picked up just two points from a possible 12 since then and lie in 12th place for a reason. They are a win, loss, draw side: winning five, drawing five and losing five this season. While Newcastle have scored five goals in their last two games, after previously mustering just two shots on target against West Ham and Crystal Palace, Howe's team have also conceded seven. That does not scream the record of a European contender as we approach the halfway point of the campaign.

Dig deeper and the one constant about this side in the last year is their inconsistency. Since defeating Manchester United on December 2, 2023, Newcastle have won as many games (15) as they have lost in the league. Newcastle have only recorded back-to-back victories in the top-flight on four separate occasions in that period and have failed to win three league fixtures in a row.

There was mitigation during a sticky winter last year, when injuries ripped through the side, but Howe now has close to a full complement of players to choose from. A handful of individuals may not have been fit enough to start on Saturday, but the Newcastle boss nonetheless had the luxury of introducing Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson from the bench at Brentford to try and get back into the game. Yet, damningly, ragged Newcastle never looked like doing so.

On the surface, a home game against 16th-placed Leicester City is just the match Newcastle need to rediscover some momentum ahead of a season-defining Carabao Cup quarter-final a few days later. However, time and time again, Newcastle have raised their game against the big guns, but repeatedly failed to get over the line when the onus has been on them to deliver.

Newcastle have picked up just three points from a possible 21 in matches against Brentford, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Brighton, Everton, Fulham and Bournemouth. Interestingly, in all seven fixtures, Newcastle have had more of the ball.

It would be a shock if Newcastle did not dominate possession against Leicester but rather than this game being a banker, it feels like a timely test of the Magpies' mettle. After all, this is a spirited Leicester side who are showing signs of life under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy after already bettering Newcastle's results against West Ham and Brighton.

Leicester have claimed four points from a possible six - as many as they did in the previous half a dozen matches - and the Foxes came from 2-0 down to draw versus the high-flying Seagulls last time out. Leicester have not played away under van Nistelrooy yet, and have won just one game on the road all season, but the visitors won't be crippled by fear when they travel to St James' Park. On the contrary. The Foxes will relish the role of underdogs like so many teams already have.

"We are humble," van Nistelrooy said ahead of the game. "We know where we are. We know that the Premiership for us as Leicester City is a tremendous league to survive in. Our objective is clear and we keep fighting for that."

It is up to Newcastle to keep fighting, too. They simply have to.