OPINION
Newcastle United were massively disappointing in their 0-0 draw with Brighton on Saturday.
The Magpies couldn’t get any grip of the game at St James’ Park and were dominated for the majority of the clash as Brighton made all the chances in the game.
Newcastle finished the game with 29% possession, nowhere near good enough for a home game against another side that is in the Premier League bottom-five.
Steve Bruce didn’t seem to have an idea of how to change the tide of the game, and the Seagulls continued pushing forward and recycling possession throughout the clash.
Isaac Hayden was spotted shouting during the game, claiming their style wasn’t working – something Bruce has responded too in the build-up to the trip to Leicester on Sunday.
“I think that is the biggest insult I can have,” he told the Chronicle.
“Look, Graham Potter changed the week before and played four different formations. He changed during the game four times, Dan Burn being a left wing-back at one stage. We changed before half-time.
“Basically, we tried to put the two No 10s up high against them, which we hadn’t done before. We tried to see if we could take it off them at the high end of the pitch and left ourselves a bit open and struggled with it.”
Bruce may be disappointed, but he needs to prove his style being questioned is an unwarranted insult to him and his team by being able to change and adapt earlier in games.
To let a game continue in the way it was going against Brighton doesn’t exactly help Bruce’s cause, and goes against that he tried to adapt his system to change it.
Other teams will not be as blunt as Brighton were in attack as the season goes on, and if Newcastle start the game with that system against other sides, they will be dismantled with ease.
Bruce is missing the point with his reaction to the apparent “insult” and needs to prove that they were wrong to blame him and in fact, show that he can change his system in a positive manner in the future so that his players can prove themselves.