NEWCASTLE UNITED have one of the greatest modern-day managers leading them and in St James’ Park they have one of the country’s grandest stadiums, packed for every home game – it’s just a shame they don’t have a team to deliver the perfect present for the club’s 125th anniversary.

There was a pretty decent game for the 52,000-plus crowd to watch, filled with twists and turns on a night when black and white stripes were projected on to landmarks across the city as part of the birthday party.

Legends of the club were in attendance, giant flags bearing newspaper headlines, the club’s crest and giant pictures of Benitez were waved proudly. But when the final whistle was blown, the reality of a relegation fight had grown stronger.

Despite all of the positives that Newcastle have going for them, the underlying problems moving forward, both on and off the pitch, could yet see this commemorative season end in disappointment.

Benitez and the players he has formed into a team will be doing everything they can to stay above the Premier League’s bottom three; only time will tell whether they possess enough to achieve their goals.

That three-match run in August-September seems a long time ago now, when the Magpies looked to have adapted to life back in the top tier and were making noises at the right end of the table.

After Leicester City left Tyneside on Saturday with three points, the only target Newcastle have in mind now is the one Benitez highlighted at the start of the campaign – to stay up.

The uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the club is a major factor, with Mike Ashley still waiting for Amanda Staveley – or someone else for that matter – to come up with the sort of offer that will tempt him into a sale.

The chances of a takeover being completed in time for the January window are extremely slim, so how will Benitez be giving the backing to strengthen his squad when the window opens in January? And how he needs it.

Newcastle have some good players, and there are plenty with lots of potential. Benitez has moulded a team together, but this winless run of seven matches, including six defeats, has knocked confidence and morale.

It is not at crisis stage just yet – and we all know how often St James’ Park tends to enjoy a crisis – but it is certainly edging in that direction, while it has become abundantly clear they lack that bit of individual brilliance which Riyad Mahrez and Demarai Gray produce regularly for Leicester.

Mahrez and Gray goals were followed by the own goal from Ayoze Perez with four minutes remaining to seal the points for the Foxes, even though Newcastle’s front two pairing of Dwight Gayle and Joselu showed signs of promise and both found the net.

Leicester’s victory means Newcastle are just two points above the bottom three ahead of this Wednesday’s visit of Everton. There are then dates with Arsenal and Manchester City to face in the four matches before the turn of the year, so Newcastle have it all to do just to stay out of the relegation zone.

Mikel Merino, the Spanish midfielder struggling to capture his early-season form, said: “The league has started, a lot of games have gone. We have to think about the next match, not too far ahead (about relegation). Nothing beyond that.

“We are disappointed, we know that we could have won this game. We know we have to give more than we are giving. The good things are that we have the chances to do it, we have another match on Wednesday. We are all together and we will carry on.

“We have to think positively, we have another match against Everton that comes quickly.

“We did a lot of good things against Leicester, we managed the second half mostly with our possession and intensity, but we must keep improving and the results will come.”

During this alarming slump Newcastle keep making mistakes. Another three saw Leicester capitalise and score three times on Tyneside, and they could easily have had a couple more courtesy of further errors.

Despite being a coach who prides himself on his tactics and keeping things tight, Benitez has seen his team concede 15 goals in the last five matches – and that sort of form, should it continue, will only end in one thing, relegation.

Merino said: “It is hard sometimes, football is about momentum.

“You will have good periods of momentum and bad periods. Now we are in a difficult period but we have to carry on and I am sure the moment we win one match then a lot more will follow.”

After Newcastle had started the game brightly and set a tempo in tune with the brilliant atmosphere, they were rewarded with a fifth-minute lead.

Jacob Murphy, who has talent but remains raw, clipped a lovely ball behind the defence for Gayle to run on to.

Gayle, playing as part of a front two with Joselu, then got to the byline and rolled a pass into the path of his onrushing strike partner who side-footed home his first goal in over two months.

But then Newcastle’s intensity dropped.

Karl Darlow, preferred ahead Rob Elliot in goal again, looked shaky a few times in the first half and his feet seemed to get stuck on the ground as Mahrez’s fine strike from distance went through his fingertips and found the net in the 20th minute.

Goalkeepers in the Premier League should be saving efforts like that, while Merino was also guilty of being sloppy in possession beforehand to gift Mahrez the chance in the first place.

After that Leicester controlled things in midfield and the movement of Gray, Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton was something for the Newcastle players to learn from.

On the hour Mahrez’s brilliant cross-field pass to Newcastle’s right flank – which teams are exposing regularly – led to Albrighton cushioning a volleyed pass for Gray to control and his strike deflected off Florian Lejeune and hit the top corner.

At that point there looked no way back for Newcastle but Gayle had other ideas when he was found by Merino’s header from the edge of the area with 17 minutes to play. Last season’s top scorer cut inside his man before his low strike took a touch off Harry Maguire before finding the bottom corner.

Newcastle were roared on for the winner but a quick counter-attack with four minutes remaining ended with Perez popping up in his own area to poke a finish beyond Darlow as he tried to stop Shinji Okazaki from hitting the winner himself.

Merino said: “The other teams can play, the other teams are good individually. We are having some mistakes in small things. We did some things good but the goals we conceded weren’t perfect.

“We have to believe in ourselves and keep going.

“If we keep going with our efforts and the fans see that, like here they saw a united team, a family playing football, and all together we will do things.

“Our squad is perfect for the Premier League.

“All the players here are capable. I believe in each one, that this team is a great team. We know we have lost again, and we are not going through a good period, but we have to make sure we don’t lose our minds.

“We don’t need to change everything because of six bad results, we have to be strong.”

Much stronger than they have been, that’s for sure.