‘That is alarming’… Chris Sutton worried after stat he’s recently heard about Newcastle United

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle United are miles away from where they were last season, and the stats back it up.

While it was always going to be incredibly difficult to qualify for the Champions League again, the drop off from Eddie Howe’s side has been staggering.

Newcastle are currently down in 10th in the Premier League, while they were completely eliminated from European competition back in December.

It looks like the FA Cup is the Magpies’ only hope, with Fulham up next in the fourth round.

That game will define Newcastle’s season, at a time when their injury issues just aren’t going away. Joelinton is the latest victim, with the Brazilian potentially set to miss the rest of the campaign.

Injuries might be seen as an excuse, but the lack of squad rotation has hurt Newcastle in every competition they have competed in. And it has resulted in them being much easier to beat.

The Magpies were incredibly strong last season. They were resolute. At this stage last season, they had only lost once in the Premier League.

But this time it is different. In fact, it is 10 times as worse. Newcastle have already lost 10 Premier League games, much to the shock of pundit Chris Sutton.

Chris Sutton worried by Newcastle United statistic

Sutton has been discussing the Magpies on BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, and was alarmed to discover how bad Newcastle’s record is this season.

“It is pretty alarming the stat that this season they have lost 10 in the Premier League and at this stage last season they had lost one,” he said.

“That is alarming if you are a Newcastle fan.

“I have got to say I have always admired the way Eddie Howe’s team play and if I’m a Newcastle fan I’m enjoying what I’m watching, albeit results haven’t been there recently.

“I think maybe we understand how the squad has been stretched but maybe you could view that as a little bit of an excuse when you lose that many games but I think they will be fine this season but I think it’s too big a stretch for them to get into a Champions League spot.”

Newcastle have unsurprisingly dropped off this season

After 21 games last season, Newcastle had lost just once. At the same stage this season, they have lost 10 times. That sums up the seismic drop off, and explains why Howe’s side are down in 10th rather than challenging for the Champions League.

Newcastle have massively underperformed, but context is required. It is tough now, but Toon fans need to look at the bigger picture. It is not as if Howe is suddenly doing a bad job – he simply does not have the tools to do his job properly.

There have been so many big games and so many incredible moments that it is difficult to understand how things suddenly look so bad.

But the good times will return. There was always going to be a drop off this season, and now Newcastle must do all they can to ensure that it is not a complete write off.

There is still the FA Cup to challenge for, and we can still qualify for Europe with a strong top half finish. All is not lost, despite the concerning statistics surrounding our form.