LAST week was one of Newcastle United’s most difficult periods of the season as they suffered league defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest, and crashed out of the EFL Cup after losing to Hull City on penalties.

Rafael Benitez’s side could claim to have been unfortunate in all three matches, particularly at the KCOM Stadium, where they outplayed their Premier League opponents for long periods, and at the City Ground, where some dreadful refereeing decisions forced them to play for more than 45 minutes with just nine men.

However, it wasn’t just bad luck that saw them suffer three setbacks in the space of six days, so now that the dust has settled, what can the Magpies learn from their worst run of the season?


THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED

The Northern Echo:

Benitez might claim otherwise, but it certainly felt like the Newcastle boss had underestimated Blackburn when he made six changes for Rovers’ visit to St James’ Park.

Given the complete lack of cup success for more than four-and-a-half decades, it was understandable that a League Cup quarter-final was given a high priority, but in hindsight, perhaps even the Magpies manager would concede his alterations went too far.

Newcastle might have been on a nine-game winning run prior to losing to Blackburn, but the Championship remains as competitive and unforgiving as ever.

For all their quality, the Magpies do not have a divine right to win games at this level, and with the third round of the FA Cup looming at the start of next month, Benitez might have to be a little more cautious when it comes to shuffling his pack.


INDISCIPLINE CAN BE COSTLY

The Northern Echo:

It is hard to remember a worse refereeing performance than the one produced by Stephen Martin at Forest on Friday, but it would still be wrong to absolve Newcastle’s players of all blame for what went wrong at the City Ground.

Jonjo Shelvey might have been goaded by Henri Lansbury, but he was still extremely stupid to flick out a leg in the direction of the Forest midfielder. He might be the best passer in the Championship, but Shelvey’s temperament remains something of a ticking time bomb.

At Hull, Newcastle’s players displayed some collective indiscipline as they conceded an equaliser within 45 seconds of taking the lead. Having celebrated Mo Diame’s opener wildly in front of the visiting fans, they had not switched back on by the time the Tigers swept upfield to score.

The current Newcastle squad undoubtedly possesses more spirit and character than the one that was relegated last season, but game management is an issue. As the importance of the matches increases towards the end of the season, so the Magpies have to become cuter in terms of seeing them out.


THERE CAN BE NO PLACE FOR MATZ SELS

The Northern Echo:

Benitez clearly wants Matz Sels to succeed. That’s understandable given he spent £4.5m to sign him in the summer, and his refusal to drop the Belgian earlier in the season could be explained by worries over Karl Darlow’s ability to handle life in the Championship.

Those worries do not exist anymore. Darlow has been excellent since stepping up to the starting line-up in September and, even in the cup competitions, there is no longer any justifiable reason for putting him back on the bench.

Sels shows no signs of adapting to English football, and his weak parry on Tuesday was the key factor in Robert Snodgrass slotting home Hull’s equaliser. He then compounded the error by making a complete hash of the penalty shoot-out.

Three days later, and Darlow was saving two penalties within the space of 12 minutes in Nottingham. Provided he stays fit, he has to start every game between now and the end of the season.


DWIGHT GAYLE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER IN THE SQUAD

The Northern Echo:

Newcastle are not a one-man team – far from it – but the last week-and-a-half has proved that if Dwight Gayle is not firing, the Magpies are much less potent as a result.

Gayle didn’t start against Blackburn, and in his absence, both Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez toiled to limited effect. Mitrovic in particular has gone backwards this season, and while he remains something of a fans’ favourite, Benitez could be tempted to sell if West Ham or Crystal Palace’s rumoured interest materialises into a January bid.

Gayle was back in the side against Hull and Forest, but was unusually profligate in extra-time at the KCOM and was understandably isolated for long spells of last Friday’s game.

Having scored two or more goals for six games in a row in October and November, Newcastle have mustered just two in their last three outings. That is not a major source of concern, but it is an indication of the importance of keeping Gayle fit and in form.


PERHAPS THE SQUAD ISN’T AS DEEP AS SOME THOUGHT

The Northern Echo:

It has been a common refrain this season from supporters and opponents alike – ‘Newcastle will win the league because they have a much deeper squad than anyone else in the league’.

It is true, they do. But the effectiveness of Benitez’s ‘B team’ remains open to debate. When fringe players come into the team, are they really capable of maintaining the highest standards?

There isn’t much to choose between DeAndre Yedlin and Vurnon Anita at right-back, but take out a centre-half and both Chancel Mbemba and Grant Hanley remain unconvincing. The same is true of the admittedly inexperienced Achraf Lazaar at left-back.

Further forward, Christian Atsu tends to play in patches, while neither Perez nor Mitrovic has been particularly convincing all season. Daryl Murphy is itching for more game time, but there is clearly a reason why Benitez continues to keep him on the bench.