Newcastle United vs Everton: A Harsh Pre-Season Lesson

The voice over the Murrayfield tannoy promised “passion and world-class football from the very first whistle.”

That was ambitious.

What Newcastle United and Everton produced in Edinburgh was far more useful than glamorous: a sharp, slightly bruising reminder to Matthias Jaissle of the size of the job he has inherited, and of the gaps still gaping in his squad just 10 days before the Premier League season begins.

Everton ran out 3-1 winners. The scoreline flattered no one and spared nothing.

Bright start, brutal lesson

Newcastle actually opened with a freshness that hinted at something more. Bazoumana Toure, fearless again on the left, tore into space and drove at Everton with the sort of pace that jolts a pre-season crowd awake. The patterns were crisp, the intent obvious.

But the finish was missing.

Chances came and went. Newcastle’s young front line snatched at them, and with every miss the side behind them looked a little more fragile. As the half wore on, the back line began to creak.

The breakthrough, when it came on 27 minutes, was painfully simple. James Tarkowski launched a straightforward ball over the top. Sven Botman misjudged it, Thierno Barry did not. He nipped in, raced clear, and suddenly Newcastle were scrambling.

Lewis Hall did superbly to get back and make a recovery tackle, but his clearance dropped straight to Harrison Armstrong. Calm head, simple pass. Barry, still alive in the move, finished past Lukas Hornicek from inside the box.

On the touchline, Jaissle punched his palm in frustration, then immediately urged his players forward again. He had seen them come from behind against Valencia days earlier. This time, the response never truly arrived.

Penalty blow and travelling taunts

Instead, the next decisive moment went Everton’s way.

Joelinton was judged to have fouled Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the area – a decision that felt harsh to Newcastle’s players, but the referee pointed to the spot. Iliman Ndiaye stepped up and buried the penalty. Two-nil, and the mood in the stands shifted.

From the Everton end came the familiar chant: “Going down, going down, going down.” It stung, not because it was prophetic, but because it underlined how quickly Newcastle’s evening had unravelled.

Jaissle’s side tried to reset, to keep playing out, to rediscover that early rhythm. Instead, the game drifted away from them.

When Tyrique George drilled in Everton’s third in the 73rd minute, the contest was done. Some Newcastle supporters began heading for the exits, long before any talk of a solar eclipse. They had seen enough.

Barnes offers a late reminder

There was, at least, a late flicker.

Harvey Barnes, on from the bench, arrived at the back post with typical timing to slam home Jacob Murphy’s cross and pull one back. The move was sharp, the finish emphatic – a reminder that there is still proven Premier League quality in this squad.

Barnes and Murphy had both been on the pitch when Newcastle lost to Everton at Goodison Park in February under Eddie Howe. This felt like a different chapter entirely.

The starting XI in Edinburgh underlined the scale of the reset on Tyneside. Eight of the side were 25 or under. Joelinton, captain for the night, and Yoane Wissa were the elder statesmen at 29. Around them, a raw group tried to match a more settled Everton outfit and came up short.

A young squad, a clear “vacuum”

Some key names are still to come back. Dan Burn, Lewis Miley and Tino Livramento are all expected to rejoin the group, though not necessarily in time to start against Liverpool on the opening weekend. Even with them, the gaps are obvious.

Jaissle did not hide from that reality.

“You all see the matches,” he said. “You are also smart enough to see the needs in the squad. I will be always consistent with my approach. We handle these things internally. We are aware of what we need. Let’s see now. There is still some time.”

Ross Wilson, the club’s sporting director, watched on from the stands at Murrayfield. He hardly needed the reminder. The departures of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier have ripped out the spine and the swagger of last season’s side.

Jaissle again spoke of a “vacuum” – the second time in as many days he has used that word.

“You cannot change things really quickly,” he said. “It’s a really young team at the moment so there are vacuums where players need to step up. We fill these positions we lost with the experienced players, but that’s also the process.”

Clock ticking before Liverpool

Newcastle are actively looking for a right-back and an experienced central midfielder. Depending on how Jaissle judges what he has in-house, another signing could follow before the window closes on 1 September.

The timing matters.

“If you make new signings at the end of the transfer window, they usually need time,” Jaissle warned. “Usually it takes time to adapt to the Premier League. Those are all things we consider, but we are all still positive. We all want to go in the right direction. We have these goals and there’s many stones along the way thrown in that path, but we need to get rid of them.”

Two friendlies remain before Liverpool arrive at St James’ Park next week. The margin for error is shrinking.

The message from Murrayfield was blunt: the ideas are there, the youth is there – but unless Newcastle clear those “stones” from the path in the next few weeks, this season could start to feel very long, very quickly.