Newcastle 'evolving' - but must add goals to clean sheets

It felt for illustration a intelligence trial arsenic overmuch arsenic a beingness one.

How would Newcastle United header pinch nan voyage to Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium - little than 72 hours aft suffering a 2-1 conclusion against Barcelona?

Navigating specified challenges surely stretched Newcastle during nan club's erstwhile foray successful nan Champions League successful 2023.

Indeed, aft losing against Borussia Dortmund, a drained, injury-hit broadside were beaten by Bournemouth conscionable a fewer days later.

Fast guardant a mates of years and, this time, much-changed Newcastle near nan southbound seashore pinch a point.

But this goalless tie threw up an different quandary.

On 1 hand, resilient Newcastle person now kept 3 cleanable sheets successful a statement connected nan roadworthy successful nan Premier League this season.

However, connected nan other, nan blunt black-and-whites person besides grounded to people successful immoderate of those games against Bournemouth, Leeds United and Aston Villa.

"We're evolving and changing arsenic an attacking force," Howe told Match of nan Day.

Understandably so.

Alexander Isak sat retired nan opening weeks of nan campaign, but nan striker did not complete his British-record move to Liverpool until deadline time and replacements Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade are going to request clip to capable nan void for differing reasons.

Wissa is simply a proven Premier League player, but nan erstwhile Brentford guardant is group to beryllium retired pinch a knee wounded until aft nan adjacent world break successful October while grounds signing Woltemade is adjusting to nan physicality of nan apical formation pursuing his £69m move from Stuttgart.

Though Woltemade sewage disconnected nan people connected his debut, against Wolves, location was a nickname down nan scenes that nan German will understandably request an adjustment period.

There were a mates of glimpses of Woltemade's tidy link-up play against Bournemouth and, astatine 1 point, nan caller presence wriggled distant from Marcos Senesi down nan correct only to spot his transverse easy claimed by Petrovic.

Woltemade besides had a punishment entreaty waved distant successful nan 2nd half aft he had his garment pulled by Bafode Diakite.

But this was an day wherever Newcastle, arsenic an attacking force, struggled to fire.

Newcastle really had much touches (18) wrong nan guidance container than Bournemouth (16), but Djordje Petrovic yet had conscionable 1 prevention to make - and that was successful nan opening stages erstwhile he kept retired Jacob Murphy's close-range shot.

The crippled was finely poised erstwhile some sides made double attacking changes midway done nan 2nd half - Howe threw connected Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes - but it was Bournemouth who were pushing for a victor precocious on.

Howe was nan first to recognise that Newcastle "didn't get our attacking crippled going" arsenic he reflected connected his broadside not having a changeable successful nan 2nd half.

"It's not good," he said "You want to create chances and clear trim chances."

Yet Howe will astatine slightest return encouragement from his broadside keeping different cleanable expanse successful nan Premier League.

No different squad successful nan top-flight person had much shutouts than Newcastle (four) this season.

In fact, only champions Liverpool person scored against Newcastle successful nan convention successful nan opening weeks of nan campaign.

Newcastle, successful nan process, person go nan first broadside to extremity Bournemouth from uncovering nan backmost of nan nett successful nan top-flight successful 2025-26, limiting nan hosts to conscionable a mates of shots connected target connected Sunday.

Such was nan visitors' protect effort, centre-back Dan Burn, alone, made 11 clearances.

"It's thing we person worked a batch on," nan towering defender told Sky Sports. "The mostly of america person played pinch each different for a agelong clip truthful we person sewage a bully squad there. That's thing to build on."

When Newcastle inevitably needed their goalkeeper to measurement up, successful nan opening and closing minutes of nan game, Nick Pope was location to do so.

Pope kept retired Tyler Adams' effort pinch his ft successful nan opening stages and nan seasoned went connected to parry substitute Justin Kluivert's well-struck free-kick successful stoppage time.

These were saves that helped Newcastle unafraid what could beryllium a valuable point.

Pope was 1 of nan fewer survivors from Newcastle's midweek nonaccomplishment against Barcelona arsenic Howe made 7 changes.

Howe has not, historically, chopped and changed to specified an extent, but nan Newcastle caput coach recognised he needed to freshen up his broadside fixed nan strength relentless Bournemouth play with.

A mates of those tweaks were enforced - Fabian Schar was sidelined aft taking a rustle to nan caput while Anthony Gordon was banned - but Howe took nan uncommon measurement of rotating cardinal players, too, specified arsenic skipper Bruno Guimaraes.

Malick Thiaw was handed his afloat debut. Sven Botman and Joe Willock came backmost into nan team. Lewis Hall and chap youngster Lewis Miley made their first convention starts since February.

Jacob Murphy and Woltemade, who linked up for what proved to beryllium a decisive extremity against Wolves past week, besides lined up from nan off.

It felt for illustration a motion of things to come.

Post-European fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Brentford, Everton, bitter rivals Sunderland, Aston Villa and Liverpool each await earlier nan convention shape of nan Champions League concludes successful January.

And nan full squad is going to beryllium needed arsenic Burn knows only excessively well.

"We've invested good successful nan summertime and we've spent a batch of money," he said. "We should usage those players and it's astir apt a instruction we've learned from nan erstwhile run successful nan Champions League."