Newcastle United legend Malcolm Macdonald has ripped into their last two away performances, describing them as ‘nothing short of a disgrace.’
The Magpies first failed to beat Cardiff in a 0-0 draw despite winning a last-gasp penalty before crashing out of the Carabao Cup in a 3-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
Macdonald, Newcastle’s fifth-highest goalscorer ever, has now destroyed Rafa Benitez’s side for their poor displays in both matches as he admitted his worry over their early season form.
In a column for the Chronicle, he said: “Let’s be brutally truthful. I cannot remember witnessing two poorer away performances by a Newcastle side than at Cardiff and Forest.
“They were shocking throughout both matches. Nothing short of a disgrace. That’s what is so worrying.”
Macdonald then went on to assess the club’s new signing while singling out two attacking players for serious criticism.
“Having watched Newcastle against Chelsea and Forest in the last week I only hope that the bulk of their new signings turn out to be better than first impressions. That they need time to bed in and will improve.
“Fabian Schar doesn’t stay on his feet (Chelsea’s penalty) and allowed his centre-forward to get in front of him for Forest’s opening goal after just 90 seconds. Ki was anonymous, the game passed him by. And Yoshinori Muto showed us nothing but pace. There simply must be more to come.
“Both wingers, Kenedy and Christian Atsu, were awful at the City Ground. There is no need to go on,” he said.
OPINION
This is a pretty scathing assessment from Macdonald, and you can see why. The Magpies have been poor to start the season, and their midweek defeat to Forest was the worst of the lot. Benitez’s men offered hardly anything all game until the final few minutes, and while they should have had a penalty to win it, there is no excuses for such a performance and they did not deserve to go through. The week before against Cardiff was a different story and they were in many ways unlucky to not come away with the win there, with Kenedy failing to convert that last-minute penalty. Those two games sandwiched their defeat to Chelsea at St. James’ Park, and that was another display which attracted criticism for Benitez, with his defensive tactics coming under fire. This weekend will not get any easier with a trip to the Etihad to face Manchester City, a game which could plunge the Magpies into even more trouble.