'The problem is': Eddie Howe makes stark admission about Newcastle's team this season

You don't have to have your UEFA coaching badges to be able to see that Newcastle United have not been performing to their best levels this season.

It's not just a case of one player looking off the pace either, there are several big, big players for the club who are playing nowhere near what we all know they're capable of.

Anthony Gordon is probably the biggest example of this as the England winger has not looked himself since he returned from Germany with the England side where he played just four minutes in Euro 2024.

However, Gordon is not the only one literally letting the side down with Brazilian pair Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton both way off their game. Joelinton made a brilliant start to the campaign against Southampton and hasn't shown up since while Bruno has put the effort in, but his quality has been surprisingly lacking.

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Eddie Howe says his 'best XI' aren't performing for him

This, of course, hasn't been lost on Eddie Howe who spoke to the media (via The Northern Echo) on Friday morning ahead of the huge game against Manchester City where the gaffer said he knows his best XI on paper but those players just aren't delivering.

“The issue for me is that, given a blank sheet of paper, if you say, ‘Go on, write down what your best team is”, I don’t think that would be difficult for me. The problem is, you have to justify your selection, so those players have to be in their best moment and best form.

“What you can’t do is pick that team if it doesn’t deserve to play. I’m a big believer in rewarding people that are playing well. I’m a big believer in there’s no set team, everyone has to earn their place.

“If you’re not earning your place, you can’t play. So, we’re in that moment, early season, where players haven’t been in their best form. It’s difficult to pick players if they’re not playing continually well. I’m at that stage now where I’m going to have to make some difficult decisions, I think.”

History would suggest that Howe isn't being entirely honest there

We, along with many other fans, are quick to accuse Eddie Howe of sticking with his favourites, so it's strange to hear him say that he's not against dropping players who aren't playing well, because history would suggest otherwise.

That being said, it's refreshing to hear a manager come out and admit that he's not getting the best out of the players he expects more from, not that he could really deny it without coming across as delusional.

Now it remains to be seen if Howe will follow through on his words and actually make some big calls when it comes to the starting players when they aren't performing.