Newcastle United 0 Leeds United 0: Magpies left frustrated

The frustration was understandable given that the Magpies had dominated the goalless draw for long periods and created by far the better chances at a sodden St James’ Park, but it was also unjustified once the wider context of Newcastle’s journey over the course of the last 12 months was taken into account.

If they wanted a genuine cause for misery, Newcastle’s players only had to cast their mind back to the club’s opening game of 2022, a match in which eight of those who took the field against Leeds had also featured.

Whereas Newcastle ended the year sitting in third place in the Premier League table, having lost just one of their 20 matches in all competitions, they began 2022 in 19th position, reeling from the embarrassment of a 1-0 home defeat to Cambridge United in the third round of the FA Cup. Failing to score against Leeds was a minor irritation; losing to League One opposition was a source of justified humiliation. The fact that the former felt so crushing was simply further evidence of how far Newcastle have come.

“It’s important the players keep that perspective because there's absolutely no need for any negativity internally from me to the players, or from the players to each other,” said head coach Eddie Howe, who has played a pivotal role in the Tyneside transformation. “They've given everything today tough conditions, tough opponent. We've created the chances and sometimes football works that way - you just can't score for whatever reason.”

Newcastle have encountered very few bumps in the road this season, but the reality is that for all the undoubted progress that has been made since the Cambridge debacle, the Magpies have not yet reached a point where they can stroll into a Premier League game confident of rolling over whoever is placed in their path.

Howe accepts as much, hence his constant attempts to play down the loftier assessments of where his side might eventually finish this season, and the sense that Saturday’s game represented two points dropped rather than one point gained once again underlines the shift in mindset and ambition that has evolved in the last 12 months. This time last year, Newcastle would gratefully have grasped any potential point that was dangled in front of them.

“For me, it has been an amazing year,” agreed Bruno Guimaraes, who was one of the Magpies’ undoubted stars of 2022. “When I came here, we were fighting against relegation, and now we are fighting for the title, the Champions League, things like that. The club has changed. We still took a point. What a year – I think it was my best year in football.

Newcastle’s progress in 2022 was remarkable, both off the pitch, where major investments into the club’s commercial operation, academy set-up and infrastructure should pay long-term dividends, and on the field, where Howe’s team is completely unrecognisable from the shell-shocked group that were fighting for their Premier League lives last spring.

Talk of challenging for the title had perhaps resulted in some pundits and supporters getting ahead of themselves, but the reality is that this is a club and squad that is still at an extremely formative stage of a journey that could take more than a decade to reach its eventual destination.

While Saturday’s game was certainly not a disaster, it nevertheless flagged up some weaknesses that need addressing before Newcastle can be considered genuine equals to the Premier League’s established Champions League contenders. Tomorrow’s trip to league leaders Arsenal might well provide another reality check.

Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier challenges for possession with Leeds United's Crysencio Summerville

The Magpies’ central-midfield unit looked clunky at the weekend, with Tyler Adams making a decent job of shackling Bruno Guimaraes, and Sean Longstaff wasting the couple of decent opportunities that came his way. With Jonjo Shelvey injured and Joelinton being pressed into action further up the field, Newcastle’s central-midfield three currently picks itself, hence the decision to make the position the number one priority area during this month’s transfer window.

Similarly, on a day when Joelinton and Miguel Almiron were not really clicking, Howe found himself turning to Allan Saint-Maximin and Jacob Murphy in an attempt to spark his side into life. The former is a top-class talent, although he has lost his way somewhat this season, but the latter is a remnant of Newcastle’s Championship days and, along with Ryan Fraser, who was an unused substitute, could probably do with being upgraded. Compare the current Magpies squad to the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool, and it is the lack of depth that is the most obvious weakness.

That said, however, there were still positives to take from Saturday’s game, not least the clean sheet that means Newcastle have now conceded just one goal from their last seven outings in all competitions. Even that was an 89th-minute consolation to Romain Perraud in November’s 4-1 thrashing of Southampton.

Nick Pope only had to make one save at the weekend, a one-handed stop from Rodrigo in the second half, with Sven Botman and Fabian Schar once again looking rock-solid at the heart of the back four. It will be interesting to see how they fare against the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli at the Emirates this week.