IT is said there are three types of lies – lies, damned lies and statistics. Sometimes, though, a statistic is so stark, it is impossible to get away from what it is telling you.

In the whole of Saturday’s draw with Crystal Palace, Newcastle United did not record a single attempt at goal, either on or off target. They had more than 51 per cent of possession at Selhurst Park, so were hardly devoid of the ball. Yet despite playing for more than 90 minutes, they didn’t produce a single shot or header that might have resulted in a goal.

So much for intensity being Newcastle’s identity. For the vast majority of Eddie Howe’s time as Magpies head coach, his side has bristled with attacking intent. Shots have rained down from every angle, goals have poured.

This season, however, things have been different. Since winning at Wolves in mid-September, Newcastle have played nine league matches, and only one (last month’s win at Nottingham Forest) has seen them score more than one goal. In three of those nine games, they drew a blank entirely.

Something has changed, and while Howe insists the desire to be a free-flowing, front-foot attacking side remains as strong as ever, the Magpies boss also concedes things are not currently clicking as effectively as they used to.

“I said after the game on Saturday that goalscoring has never historically been a problem for my team,” said Howe. “It’s usually been the other way, where we’ve been very front-foot and attack minded.

“Certainly, there’s been no change in our approach, we’re still very front foot and attacking-minded, but sometimes these things just happen and they go in phases. That doesn’t mean we’re neglecting the fact that we are where we are, and it’s obvious we’re not attacking in the fluent way we were, so we just have to give the players confidence.

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“We’ve got some outstanding technical attacking players, some brilliant one-v-one players, so we’ve got to give them the licence and freedom to do that, and hope the confidence floods back.”

Understandably, much of the focus when it comes to Newcastle’s lack of goals has focused on the malfunctioning attack. Alexander Isak, who was forced off in the first half of last weekend’s draw with a hip injury, has scored four league goals, but has had to carry the attacking load pretty much on his own shoulders all season.

Callum Wilson, injury plagued and out of contract next summer, is yet to make his first start of the campaign, while the signing of William Osula, for all that the 21-year-old might be a decent long-term prospect, increasingly looks like an ill-advised folly.

With the likes of Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes also flattering to deceive, Newcastle’s attack has felt dysfunctional for quite a while now, although Howe insists it would be wrong to focus only on the final third of the field. Given the way in which the Magpies’ team-wide press has been such a key part of their play in the last couple of years, the head coach is keen to spread the blame for any attacking shortcomings.

“It’s not just about the attackers,” said Howe. “The immediate focus will be on them, but it’s about the team creating chances for them. That includes the goalkeeper, centre-halves, full-backs, we all attack together, and we all defend together. It’s about the whole team playing in unison, and to do that you’ve got to have the right feel.

“It’s about giving the players confidence. It’s about creating an environment where they’re comfortable and free, and then you’ll see the best of them. I’ve got no doubt as to their qualities, it’s just about making them feel good and giving them the right structure to show those qualities.”

The problem, of course, is that the next challenge facing Newcastle is the toughest in the Premier League. Liverpool roll into town this evening, with their weekend win over Manchester City having left them nine points clear at the top of the table.

Last season, Liverpool overcame a seemingly impossible position to claim victory on Tyneside, triumphing with ten men thanks to two goals from Darwin Nunez in the final nine minutes. Newcastle and Liverpool are said to have one of the Premier League’s great rivalries, but in the last 15 matches between the two teams, the Magpies failed to record a single success.

“I don’t look at those kind of records,” said Howe. “I prepare to win with a fresh set of eyes every time you play an opponent. Teams change and evolve every time you play them.

“The games we’ve had against them (Liverpool) have been tight, especially the home games, they’ve been difficult losses for us to take, especially the last one, which was a really painful one. We remember that from last year. But I think every time you play an opponent like Liverpool, you learn new things. I think it’ll be a great occasion.”