2. Severe Lack Of Confidence
The season never did get started, did it? Not too bad of a start, although there were a few draws thrown in there. With the wins in Europe coming from the odd goal in games, November was when the wheels really started to come off. With successive home defeats to West Ham and Swansea the team started to panic. No playmaker available, the main striker Demba Ba all but admitting he was leaving in the coming months. A back four conceding goals and Papiss Cisse' looking a shadow of the player that lit up the Premier league only months earlier. Newcastle had played a 4-3-3 system the previous year which was very entertaining, while getting the points in the bag. Although now, partly due to injuries Newcastle had to adopt a different approach, which we all know failed. Not one of the starting eleven wanted the ball and when it was received, was punted down field. The club finished the season in the knowledge that they had played more long ball than any other. Confidence has an effect on individual performances in many ways, the obvious being not being able to play a straight forward pass to feet. Others are less obvious, although just as damaging. Forward runs (making yourself space) to receive the ball becomes harder. Marking opponents at set-plays is another area of play affected. While it was obvious to all that Tiote could not time any tackle all season, maybe because he had no confidence in the players around him was a factor