- Chris Wood punished former side Newcastle with a hat-trick in a shock 3-1 win
- Kieran Trippier and Eddie Howe criticised the side’s display after the match
- It’s tight at the top of the tree as: Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa all drop points…so who’s winning Christmas so far? – It’s All Kicking Off
Kieran Trippier has admitted that his ‘standards have dropped’ as both he and manager Eddie Howe criticised Newcastle’s second-half performance in their 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle took the lead through an Alexander Isak penalty, only to be stunned by their former forward Chris Wood, as Nottingham Forest punished the Magpies on the counter attack.
Trippier has endured a nightmare December with his mistakes costing them in defeats to Everton, Tottenham and Chelsea.
Howe’s side in general though are struggling for form in what has been an injury-plagued season at St James’ Park.
After the match, Trippier told Amazon Prime: ‘It’s been a challenge for the team going from not playing in Europe playing three-game weeks some players are new to that.
Kieran Trippier admitted his ‘standards have dropped’ after Newcastle’s 3-1 Boxing Day defeat
Chris Wood punished his former side with a hat-trick in a shock win for Nottingham Forest
Eddie Howe’s side in general are struggling for form in an injury-plagued season
‘Sometimes when you don’t mean it like myself – my standards have dropped – I’m old enough and experienced to talk about my own performances and know they’re nowhere near as good as the standards I’ve set recently.
‘I don’t shy about it, I’ve had a lot of setbacks in my career and this is another one where I need to keep going and believing and I’ve always got that belief to bounce back.’
Trippier also referenced how Nottingham Forest ‘hurt’ Newcastle on the counter attack during the game and how the Magpies ‘can’t listen to the outside noise and start the second-half of the season strong’.
Howe in his own interview agreed that Newcastle struggled to deal with transitions and admitted that it had been a ‘difficult afternoon’ for his side.
He said: ‘There’s so much to look at from that game from our own perspective.
‘Some good, first-half we were the better team. Second-half was tough for us on transitions and we didn’t deal with them very well. Conceded some poor goals from our view point.’
He added: ‘The goal on half-time has had a bigger impact on us than it should have done. In that first-half we were probably looking to make it 2-0 and then from an action where we could do that we go on to concede and then it becomes difficult and swings on that one key moment.
‘There’s a whole combination of different things that are hurting us. We will have to be strong in these moments as it’s not easy but we will look to bounce back.
Trippier and Howe spoke of the impact that Nottingham Forest had on the counter attack
Newcastle are seventh in the table with a tricky run of fixtures at the beginning of 2024
‘Regardless of our next opponents we need to make sure we get our performance right. I don’t think we were today but the result tells a different story. Now we get the chance to properly train for the first time in months so hopefully that makes a decision to how we look in the next game.’
When asked if there was more pressure on him, Howe responded: ‘I don’t think more than usual, when you’re in this position as a Premier League manager there’s pressure at every turn.’
Things don’t get easier for the Magpies in the New Year, as they start off with a trip to Anfield, followed by an FA Cup clash against bitter rivals Sunderland and games against Man City at home and Aston Villa away.
