Newcastle's malaise continues as defeats mount up

LIKE Newcastle United, Manchester City are struggling to hit the heights they scaled for most of last season. Unlike the misfiring Magpies, however, at least the reigning champions can claim they are coming close.

A victory that was ultimately more comprehensive than periods of the second half might have suggested enabled Roberto Mancini's side to bounce back from their dramatic derby defeat to Manchester United and remain within six points of the Premier League summit. So much for being a club in crisis.

That phrase has not really been levelled at Newcastle yet despite a run of one win in 11 matches in all competitions, but it cannot be avoided forever and you sense the prevailing mood could darken dramatically if things do not go to plan when QPR visit Tyneside this weekend.

If you lose to the champions, then provided the level of performance is not too anaemic, which it wasn't on Saturday, there will not be too much criticism. Fail to beat a QPR side who only recorded their first win of the season at the 17th attempt, however, and serious questions will surely have to be asked.

After all, this wasn't meant to be the way Newcastle followed up last season's fifth-placed finish. There are mitigating factors, some self-inflicted, such as the failure to sufficiently strengthen the squad in the summer, and some not, such as the untimely injuries that have exacerbated the effect of the fixture congestion caused by the Europa League, but the upshot is that 2012 will almost certainly end with the Magpies in a perilous position.

This time last year, they were heading into the Christmas period in seventh with seven league victories already under their belt. What a difference 12 months makes, even if Alan Pardew continues to insist that the level of his side's performance has not really changed.

“I know there is not much difference in terms of performance from last season,” said the Newcastle manager. “I think we have gone through a period of conceding soft goals and that has been costly, but we have to keep believing in what we are doing.

“From the last four games, I really find it difficult to say to the players, 'Look, you've only got three points', but that's the truth. It's important you tell the truth as a manager and I thought they were terrific in terms of their attitude.”

Pardew might also have added that some of his side's second-half attacking play against City was as bright and incisive as it has been all season, but given the pressing need for points, this is not a time to seek solace in platitudes.

Just as they had at Fulham, Newcastle improved markedly after a fairly wretched start, but for the second game in a row, they paid a heavy price for some shoddy defending and finished empty-handed.

The defence is malfunctioning repeatedly – on Saturday, the previously-reliable Davide Santon was the major culprit – and while Pardew is right to claim his side generally look capable of scoring a goal, at the moment they need to claim three or four to emerge victorious.

“I don't think that complete 90-minute performance we're looking for is too far away,” claimed James Perch. “We've been quite close in the last couple of matches, it's just a couple of ten-minute spells have been really costly for us.”

Saturday's 'spell' lasted rather longer than ten minutes, with the vibrancy of Manchester City's first-half attacking repeatedly leaving their opponents reeling.

With Carlos Tevez, Sergio Ageuro, Samir Nasri and David Silva combining to produce a string of slick, one-touch passing moves, it was always going to be difficult for Newcastle's defence to retain order.

City's opening goal was a thing of beauty, with Yaya Toure producing an exquisite through ball to release Nasri, who unselfishly squared across the face of the six-yard box for Aguero to score.

“They've got little magicians up front,” said Perch. “I don't think any of them are any taller than five foot eight, but the way they pass and move is great. I'm sure it was great to watch from the sidelines, although it wasn't great to chase around.”

Tevez, Silva and Aguero all spurned opportunities to add to City's lead, yet when the visitors did eventually claim a second six minutes before the break, it was dispiriting that the goal owed more to some desperate defending than anything the visitors fashioned themselves.

Javi Garcia out-jumped Fabricio Coloccini to meet Silva's corner, and Santon somehow missed his attempted clearance completely from his position next to the post, diverting the ball into the net via his standing leg.

To their credit, Newcastle rallied dramatically at the start of the second half and gained their reward when Demba Ba headed home his 11th goal of the season from Coloccini's hooked cross.

With Vurnon Anita producing easily his best display in a Newcastle shirt in a more attacking position than he has been used to, the hosts dominated for a 15-minute spell, but Papiss Cisse wasted their best opportunity by blazing over from 16 yards.

Hopes of a comeback were dispelled 12 minutes from time as Yaya Toure stabbed home Pablo Zabaleta's cross to add to the two goals he scored at St James' towards the end of last season.

“The third goal was a sucker punch and it killed us really,” said Perch. “But they're the champions, and that's what they do.”