Newcastle 0-3 Watford: Hopeless NUFC hammered by the Hornets
To get a gauge of just how bad that was, I don't think we've seen a worse home performance since Benitez took over.
Scoring goals has always looked like it'd be an issue for us this season, but the early signs this season were that we'd make up for that in effort, enthusiasm, discipline and organisation at the back.
All those things were worryingly non existent today - we did absolutely nothing to resemble a Rafa Benitez team today. We had no shape, looked so open and lacked any ideas or coordination at both ends.
In fairness to Watford, they were brilliant today and outdid us in every single department. These stats don't quite show it, but it could have been more than three:
There were so many lacklustre individual displays in the team today, with Jacob Murphy being the only NUFC man who can come away with any credit (see player ratings here) - however Rafa has to take some real responsibility for this one too.
There were some debatable selections (Diame, Joselu) and the 4-4-2 system was neither here nor there against a fluent Watford set-up, with the midfield partnership of Shelvey and Diame rarely getting close to the industrious and mobile Doucoure and Cleverly, yet failing to support the isolated Joselu and Gayle at the other end.
The biggest issue wasn't through the middle however, it was how poorly we contained their left hand side, with Ritchie and Yedlin failing to contain Zeegelaar (wing-back) and Richarlison (winger) all afternoon. All three of their goals came down that side and there could've been more if it wasn't for Andre Gray's tame finishing.
This one falls firmly in the bracket of 'one to forget', but it's one we and Rafa Benitez must learn from pretty quickly. Days like this will surely do nothing to help the takeover cause?
Unlike several of our resolute and competitive displays earlier this season, this did anything but suggest we're a team who will be too strong to go down this season. After displays like this, no wonder Staveley and co. are pushing for a relegation clause.
I fully expect us to return to a 4-2-3-1 formation in next Tuesday's trip to West Brom - a game we really do need a result from to steady the ship.
Here's some post-match reactions from Twitter which sum things up pretty suitably..
https://twitter.com/CraigHope_DM/status/934468407516434432
https://twitter.com/ChrisDHWaugh/status/934469411888562178
https://twitter.com/MsiDouglas/status/934464522512949248
https://twitter.com/MsiDouglas/status/934460691901186053
https://twitter.com/KHeneage/status/934462608836583424
