The start of a new Premier League season is always a time for hope, a clean slate where every team dreams of a perfect beginning.
For Newcastle United, the 2025/26 campaign has been a mix of those hopeful moments and some real frustration. The results have been a rollercoaster, and the team’s performances have shown both promise and problems that need fixing.
It’s a period of adjustment, where the manager is trying to find the right formula and the players are working to find their best form.
The story so far is not about one single issue, but about a team searching for its identity and its missing spark in front of goal.
The season began with a game that must have been heartbreaking for the fans. At home in their famous stadium, St James’ Park, Newcastle found themselves two goals down to Liverpool.
But then, they showed incredible spirit, fighting back to level the score at 2-2. It looked like they had secured a hard-earned point, until a devastating goal in the 100th minute from Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha snatched the victory away from them.
It was a cruel way to lose, and it set a tone of what might have been. That was followed by a trip to Leeds, where the team battled to a 0-0 draw. It was a solid point away from home, but it was also a game where chances to score were very few and far between.
The team finally got their first win of the season in their fourth match, a narrow 1-0 victory at home against Wolves. It wasn’t a flashy or dominant performance, but it was a gritty, determined effort that secured three precious points.
However, the problems in attack came back into focus in the very next game, another 0-0 draw, this time away at Bournemouth.
In these two goalless games, manager Eddie Howe experimented with the team’s shape, trying out a formation with three central defenders.
The idea was likely to make the team more solid at the back, but the downside was that the team seemed to lose its fluency going forward.
They struggled to create clear chances and looked a little unsure of themselves in the final third of the pitch.
The Bournemouth game was a perfect example of this struggle. Newcastle set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, aiming to stop Bournemouth’s attacking style.
Their big-money signing, German striker Nick Woltemade, led the line. He showed some nice touches and even had a strong shout for a penalty turned down, but it was clear he is still getting used to the physical nature of English football.
In midfield, there were several changes. Lewis Miley and Joe Willock came into the team, but neither was able to really take control of the game. The statistics told a telling story: Newcastle managed very few shots and had much less of the ball than their opponents.
Defensively, there were some nervous moments too, with Bournemouth having a goal disallowed and one of Newcastle’s defenders being lucky not to get sent off.
Amidst these team struggles, the story of one player, Joe Willock, feels particularly symbolic. There was a time not too long ago when Willock was the talk of the city.
He arrived on loan from Arsenal back in 2021 and immediately became a hero. He scored on his debut and then went on an unbelievable run, scoring in seven games in a row.
This incredible feat matched a record that had been held by the club’s greatest ever legend, Alan Shearer. Willock’s goals were crucial in helping the team avoid relegation that season, and the club quickly made his move permanent for £25 million.
He was explosive, dynamic, and seemed to have a knack for scoring important goals. He was a key part of the team that later finished in the top four and qualified for the Champions League.
But since those exciting days, Willock’s career has been plagued by injuries. A series of problems, from his hamstrings to his Achilles tendon, have kept him off the pitch for long periods.
He has missed dozens of games over the past few seasons. The player who returns now seems to be a different version of the one who took the league by storm.
The powerful, driving runs that defined his game appear to have faded. His performance against Bournemouth was a quiet one. He was on the pitch for just over an hour but had very little influence on the game.
He didn’t take a single shot, touched the ball only 32 times, and completed just 12 passes. While he worked hard defensively, the explosive threat he once posed was missing. It’s a sad situation for a player who showed so much potential.
For Newcastle, the challenge is now clear. The manager needs to find a way to get the team scoring goals again, whether that means sticking with the new defensive system and refining it or going back to a more attacking approach.
For Joe Willock, the hope is that he can get a run of games without injury and slowly rediscover the form that made him such a special player.
The upcoming League Cup match against a lower-league side might be a good chance for him to get some confidence back. The start of the season has shown that Newcastle have a strong foundation, but they need to find their cutting edge.
The story of the season will be about whether they can solve this puzzle and turn these hard-fought draws into convincing wins.
