Newcastle United in the comfort zone but that doesn't stop the disquiet

Low on goals, on shots and on entertainment, Toon are struggling to make a mark

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce. Reuters

What is the point of Newcastle United? Existential questions may abound in the emptiness of a pandemic but they have long surrounded a club that had a strong, proud identity.

To survive? Perhaps, and Newcastle should, and with something to spare. They were in effect safe by March last season. They are already seven points clear of the relegation zone and if the failings of the bottom three give an artificial feel to that statistic, the lack of peril removes a threat or an imperative to change anything or anyone. What it does not do, however, is remove the sense of disquiet.

To entertain? History suggests Newcastle did and if the image of them as inveterate attackers is only true in parts of their past, they do not now. Most markers suggest they are among the worst and the dullest teams in the division.

They rank 20th for shots, 20th for shots on target, 19th for touches in the final third, 19th for completed passes, 18th for possession and 18th for key passes. It is harder to put a figure on excitement but, barring Allan Saint-Maximin’s solo runs, they offer precious little and the Frenchman has been more subdued this season.

To be efficient? A businessman like Mike Ashley might argue so. Newcastle have a curious kind of productivity. They do not play well that often – they have been awful against Brighton and Southampton this season and utterly unambitious against Manchester United and, last week, Chelsea – and yet turn relatively little into a reasonable points tally.

To progress? Many would argue they cannot under Ashley’s ownership and, after a Saudi-backed takeover failed in the summer, linger in perpetual limbo.

Ashley tends to afford his managers time but some would say – and in age of empty stadia, it is harder to determine how much the predictable unrest on social media mirrors the feeling of the wider fanbase – they cannot under Steve Bruce.

________________

Newcastle v Chelsea ratings

NEWCASTLE PLAYER RATINGS: Karl Darlow – 7. Darlow has been one of Newcastle’s best performers so far this season and was key to keeping the scoreline respectable. Produced a fine early save on Werner before another cracker to deny Abraham and was quick off his line to claim crosses. AFP

Javier Manquillo – 6. Found himself playing as a defensive right-back instead of a wing-back as Chelsea’s waves of attack kept him pinned in his own half for much of the match. AFP

Federico Fernández – 5. Got his feet all wrong to bundle the ball in for the opening goal and found it tough going against Werner. AFP

Jamaal Lascelles – 6. Stood up well to Chelsea pressure and produced a lunging interception to break up a dangerous attack. That contribution led to an injury, though, and he was replaced at half-time. AFP

Ciaran Clark – 6. Played his role in repelling Chelsea’s attacks when Newcastle sat deep. Decent game for the Irishman. EPA

Jamal Lewis – 6. Like Manquillo, was forced to defend for most of the 90 minutes but was able to get forward for Newcastle’s occasional attack. Getty Images

Jacob Murphy – 5. A tough day for the winger who struggled to make much of an impact during a match that saw his side limited to less than 30 per cent possession. EPA

Isaac Hayden – 6. Booked for a rash challenge on Kovacic and blazed an effort over the bar, although he was deemed offside. Reuters

Sean Longstaff – 6. Came inches away from a goal of the season contender but his long ranger effort clattered off the crossbar. Beyond that, his contribution was minimal. AP

Allan Saint-Maximin – 6. Looked Newcastle’s most likely player to haul his team back into the game with his trickery and direct running but nothing quite came off the for the Frenchman. Replaced on 73 minutes. PA

Joelinton – 5. Starved of service and never looked like troubling the Chelsea goal. He will certainly have easier days but his lack of goals should be a worry. EPA

SUBS: Fabian Schar (45’) – 7. Came on to replace the injured Lascelles and slotted well into the backline. AFP

Almiron (65’) – 5. In the news for the wrong reasons this week after a hostile exchange between his agent and Steve Bruce, the Paraguayan couldn’t take his chance off the bench to create more positive headlines. AFP

Andy Carroll (74’) – 6. Had a half-chance when played through but his glaring lack of pace was exposed. Won a couple of headers as standard. Getty Images

CHELSEA PLAYER RATINGS: Edouard Mendy – 7. Another match in a Chelsea shirt, another clean sheet for the new signing. Didn’t have to make any spectacular saves but used his anticipation to clear up loose balls and commanded his area well. PA

Reece James – 8. Every game his influence just seems to grow. Solid in defence and a constant presence going forward, James was unfortunate not to get his name on the assists column with a couple of whipping low crosses. AFP

Ben Chilwell – 7. A quiet game from the England left-back but still got himself into attacking positions, most notably to apply the pressure to force the own goal, and handled his defensive duties comfortably. Getty Images

Kurt Zouma – 7. The Frenchman has formed a formidable partnership with Thiago Silva this season, and even in the Brazilian’s absence he maintained his authority. Absolutely dominant in the air and never looked troubled. Reuters

Antonio Rudiger – 8. Demoted to back-up since Silva’s arrival, Rudiger took his chance to impress with a superb display. The German was commanding at the heart of Chelsea’s defence – tracking runs, producing blocks, and providing an assured presence. Reuters

N’Golo Kante – 8. Back in his preferred role at the base of the midfield, Kante was the best midfielder on the pitch, breaking up play and driving the ball forward. His positional sense is just so good and he was always in control. Reuters

Mateo Kovacic – 6. A more subdued display from the Croatian midfielder who is so often the driving force of this Chelsea team. Played his part in ensuring his team dominated possession. AP

Mason Mount – 7. Should have done better with his finish in the second half after a lovely turn to create the chance. But an overall good performance from the England international. Reuters

Hakim Ziyech – 7. A rare outing without a goal or assist and started the game with a few wayward passes, but as the game went on the Moroccan’s influence grew. Drifted across the attack, always looked to be on the ball, and played probing passes. Not a vintage Ziyech display but his quality was evident. PA

Timo Werner – 7. May have fluffed a handful of chances but made amends with a driving run and assist to create Chelsea’s second goal. Caused all sorts of problems for the Newcastle defence, who would have been relieved the German didn’t have his shooting boots on at St James’ Park. AFP

Tammy Abraham – 8. Took his goal with cool composure and a great finish but even his goal aside, had a very good game. He led the line with authority by winning headers and creating space for his teammates and was frequently in the box. AP

SUBS: Callum Hudson-Odoi (76’) – 6. Looked lively during his cameo and was in the mood to cause some problems with his dribbling and movement. Ran out of time to make a tangible impact. Getty Images

Emerson (82’) – N/A Reuters

Olivier Giroud (87’) – N/A EPA

________________

His results and approach show similarities with Rafa Benitez’s but Bruce lacks the credibility of a former Champions League winner or the body of support. When his side are bad, they are really bad, and fewer mitigate for him.

Newcastle go to Crystal Palace on Friday after consecutive wretched displays. Bruce had two weeks to prepare for last week’s tame defeat to Chelsea. He had very few international call-ups, so plenty of time to work with his players. There was no semblance of an offensive strategy

“Our last three games the team we played against could have gone top of the league,” Bruce argued, though two of those teams were Everton and Southampton.

“In the last couple in particular we haven't played well enough. We accept that and move on. It's important we show that resilience again and try to get a result."

His best chance of one is available again after a hamstring injury. Callum Wilson’s clinical touch has camouflaged Newcastle’s lack of threat. Albeit aided by penalties, he has six goals from just 16 shots. The rest of the squad have three between them.

Bruce’s pragmatic decision to commit £20 million to a 28-year-old striker is being justified; Wilson’s goals should guarantee safety. The hope was that he would spearhead a more attacking side but an injury-hit Ryan Fraser has been limited to 185 minutes, an unhappy Miguel Almiron has lost his place and Saint-Maximin has lost his spark, especially when used as a No 10.

So Newcastle, who are potentially without a couple of players due to Covid-19 and are waiting on captain Jamaal Lascelles, will probably concentrate on defence. It seems to be what they stand for now, but the unrealised aim is to represent something more.