Newcastle United are entering the most demanding stretch of their season, and December is already showing signs of becoming one of the toughest months Eddie Howe has faced since taking charge.
By the end of the month, the team will have played eight matches across all competitions, moving from one intense fixture to another with barely any breathing space.
The schedule is unforgiving, and every match feels like a test of endurance, depth, and consistency. Their next challenge comes in Germany, where they will meet Bayer Leverkusen in a Champions League tie that could define the momentum of their European campaign.
So far, December has delivered mixed emotions. Newcastle opened the month with a draw and followed it up with a narrow win over Burnley, a game that ended closer than it should have.
The 2-1 result was hard-fought, and it became far more stressful after a late, needless handball gifted Burnley a penalty in the dying moments. Fortunately, no comeback materialized, but the warning signs were clear.
Fatigue is building, and performance levels are fluctuating. With fixtures coming thick and fast, Howe knows he may have to rotate even if the squad is far from perfect right now.
Against Burnley, Newcastle produced enough chances to make the match comfortable, taking 17 shots but lacking sharpness in the final third. Nick Woltemade struggled the most.
Despite starting up front, he managed only 18 touches and failed to register a single shot on target. In games like this, the absence of a natural killer instinct can become painfully obvious.
With Yoane Wissa now available again after his long injury break, the timing might be ideal to give the former Brentford striker a chance from the start.
Woltemade’s performance was even described as “sloppy” by Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, and with December’s heavy workload, Howe may need to shake things up before the group begins to show signs of deeper decline.
Jacob Ramsey also had a difficult afternoon, and while he worked tirelessly, he never truly found rhythm alongside Bruno Guimarães. His misplaced handball in stoppage time almost cost the team two valuable points. With Sandro Tonali and Joelinton both fit again and expected to reclaim their roles, Ramsey may step aside for the upcoming fixtures.
Anthony Elanga is another player who continues to search for consistency, completing just one of seven dribble attempts against Burnley. Flashes of quality remain, but he is still navigating an uneven first season in black and white.
However, while several players are struggling to find form, one who has completely flipped his season around is Anthony Gordon. Earlier in the campaign, many felt Gordon was drifting dangerously close to becoming the next Gabriel Obertan full of energy but lacking real end product.
At one point, an analyst even claimed he had entered “Obertan territory,” a worrying comparison considering Obertan managed only three goals in 77 matches for Newcastle during his forgettable spell on Tyneside.
Fortunately for fans, that version of Gordon has completely disappeared. The 24-year-old has rediscovered the fearless intensity that made him one of the Premier League’s most exciting wide players.
His sharpness, hunger, and direct movement returned at exactly the right moment. In Newcastle’s recent home matches, he delivered two high-pressure penalties with complete calmness, and without those goals, Newcastle’s December would look far worse already.
Howe praised him heavily after the Burnley win, calling him the “best player” on the pitch and highlighting how his relentless running and bravery were crucial in breaking down the visitors.
The numbers show how important Gordon has been, and how much his influence has grown as the season has progressed.
| Gordon’s 2025/26 Season Stats | Gordon |
|---|---|
| Premier League games played | 10 |
| Premier League goals | 2 |
| Premier League assists | 0 |
| Champions League games played | 5 |
| Champions League goals | 4 |
| Champions League assists | 1 |
These figures underline how dramatically he has lifted his performances in Europe, where he has already scored four goals and supplied another. With Leverkusen up next, he has the perfect chance to reinforce why he now deserves to be one of the first names on Howe’s team sheet.
Across the last two seasons, Gordon has delivered 37 combined goals and assists for Newcastle, and even with his rough patches this season, the potential for another surge in form is clearly there.
Howe’s praise seems to have reignited his confidence, and Gordon now plays with the urgency and purpose of someone who wants to take responsibility during the most demanding part of the season.
With so many matches on the horizon, Newcastle need players who can rise to the occasion and carry the team through difficult periods. Gordon is now doing exactly that.
If he continues on this positive trajectory, he may turn out to be one of the club’s most decisive players this month, especially as the Champions League and Premier League battles intensify.
Newcastle may still be inconsistent as a whole, but with Gordon firing again, the team has a spark they desperately need as they continue to fight for momentum, results, and stability during a chaotic December.
