Newcastle United lost once again last night.
The Magpies were dumped out of the EFL Cup by Burnley, following a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron were the players to miss from 12 yards.
That’s three defeats on the trot now for Newcastle, and for many the alarm bells are ringing.
One man who definitely isn’t worried though is Steve Bruce, who shamelessly spoke about the positives following the game.
The 60-year-old’s ability to totally misjudge the mood and say something that will wind up the fans remains better than ever.
It was another terrible evening for the football club, and a worrying statistic emerged in the aftermath of the game.
Across Newcastle’s three games so far, the team have managed just five shots on target.
Callum Wilson’s tap-in goal and backheel against West Ham, Jacob Murphy’s strike against the Hammers, Joelinton’s last-minute header against Aston Villa and Jeff Hendrick’s early second-half effort last night.
Bruce said on BBC Radio Newcastle last week (via Chronicle Live): “Over the last couple of years in particular with bringing in players of the calibre of Almiron who started it really with Allan, Callum and Jo, we have got a threat at the top end of the pitch.
“I think at the forward end of the pitch, it’s as strong as it’s been for a long, long time.”
The threat is not so great at the minute
Just five shots on target so far this season is pretty embarrassing.
It shows that either the attacking threat isn’t quite as great as Bruce thinks it is, or that his tactics are not allowing the players to get into better positions to at least hit the target.
With the defence looking vulnerable in addition to this current struggle up top, there is certainly reason for fans to be extremely concerned and frustrated.
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