DESPITE what Amanda Staveley might have been saying last week, when she boldly stated that Newcastle “will win” the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League in the not-too-distant future, Eddie Howe accepts that the Magpies’ journey back to the top table of European football will have to be taken via a series of small steps.

So, while the loss of three successive matches to Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City might have provided something of a jarring reality check to those who were envisaging that Newcastle were going to waltz through the season, picking up silverware and a Champions League place along the way, Howe was always mindful of the cavernous gulf that separated the club from England’s elite throughout Mike Ashley’s tenure.

Last season, as the Ashley era was just beginning to fade into the rear-view mirror, Newcastle lost 4-0 to Manchester City at St James’ Park and were hammered 5-0 at the Etihad. This term, the two sides played out a 3-3 thriller on Tyneside at the start of the season, and while the Magpies left Manchester empty-handed again at the weekend, they at least made Pep Guardiola’s side work and occasionally fret for their 2-0 success.

The hope, for both Howe and Staveley, is that the gap will continue to close over the next few seasons, to the point where the two Middle Eastern-owned clubs are meeting as equals. For now, simply knowing that Newcastle are on the right track will have to suffice.

“It feels like this is a different Newcastle team now, hopefully in a positive way, yeah,” said Howe, when the contrast between the last two matches at the Etihad was pointed out. “Last year was a really tough experience – I thought there was quite a big gap between the two teams.

“This year, the two games we've had have been very good games. They were on a knife-edge and could have gone either way. That’s a big improvement for us. Hopefully, we can come back next year an even better team, but certainly that becomes more difficult.”

Newcastle’s last two matches, which have ended in defeat to Manchester United and Manchester City, have confirmed that progress has undoubtedly been made this season. However, the games have also highlighted the key deficiencies which have contributed to the slump in form that has been apparent since the World Cup break, and threaten to undo at least some of the good work from the opening half of the campaign in the remainder of the season.

Howe’s side continue to misfire badly in attack, with Saturday’s failure to beat Ederson meaning they have now scored just three goals in their last eight league matches. Clearly, that is nowhere near good enough, and while Howe was rightly keen to point out that his side had created chances at the weekend, the fact that none were taken somewhat undermines his point when he attempts to claim there is not really an issue to address.

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Anthony Gordon, Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson all wasted good first-half openings on Saturday without getting a proper shot away, with the latter’s air kick from Kieran Trippier’s headed knock-down indicative of the complete loss of form that surely means Alexander Isak has to start against Wolves this weekend.

“I’m not going to lie and say it’s (lack of goals) not a concern,” said Howe. “Because of course it is, but I think if you’re still creating them, that’s a positive. We had the moments and I back the players over the long term that we will start scoring again.”

At the other end of the pitch, Dan Burn was given a torrid time by Phil Foden, who opened the scoring with a deflected strike in the first half before Bernardo Silva doubled City’s lead in the second with a clinical finish.

Burn has performed manfully since being switched to left-back, but with Matt Targett now available after recovering from injury, it is perhaps time for Howe to start experimenting with a more orthodox full-back pairing as part of his back four.