Jamie Carragher has warned Newcastle United they must address their lack of physicality after suffering another 4-1 away defeat in the Premier League.
The Magpies were beaten by newly-promoted Coventry City on Monday, with Sky Sports pundit Carragher suggesting head coach Matthias Jaissle may need to reconsider his tactical approach after another difficult night on the road.
Newcastle had also lost 4-1 away to Leeds United in their previous league trip, leaving Carragher concerned about the team’s ability to compete physically against Premier League opposition.
Lack of physicality
“Every manager has their own way, but when you think of the lack of physicality in that [Newcastle] team, it might be a case where you leave one of the strikers out and go with an extra body in midfield,” Carragher said on Monday Night Football.
“It’s a young team, and it isn’t as physically powerful as a lot of the teams in the Premier League.
“And in their last two away games, they’ve been beaten up twice – and that’s got to stop very quickly.”
Newcastle had opportunities to recover from an early Jack Rudoni penalty, but Matias Fernandez-Pardo missed significant chances before Sidiki Cherif doubled Coventry’s advantage shortly after half-time.
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Newcastle struggling to convert
Sven Botman’s spectacular strike briefly offered hope, only for Ellis Simms and Stephen Mfuni to score late goals and complete Coventry’s emphatic victory.
Newcastle registered 19 shots but struggled to convert their opportunities.
Jaissle apologised to the travelling supporters and admitted his side needed to improve at both ends of the pitch.
“We can only apologise to the fans who came here; they deserve a different result,” he said.
Carragher’s criticism comes as Newcastle attempt to recover from a damaging result that leaves them 11th in the table. They will look to respond when they host Aston Villa on Saturday.
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