Newcastle players confronted Jaissle's anger after 4-1 loss at Elland Road
Newcastle United players were on the receiving end of head coach Matthias Jaissle's anger after their 4-1 defeat by Leeds United at Elland Road on Monday in the Premier League, having already encountered an unhappy Jaissle in training during the opening weeks of his reign. Jaissle described the away dressing-room meeting afterwards, saying: "There was all clarity in the room that the learning curve needs to be really fast."
Jaissle, who won a combined six trophies at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli and Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg, took charge three weeks before the start of the season after Eddie Howe stepped down. Even during a previous five-game unbeaten run, there was a recognition inside the club that it was "always going to be a work in progress" after a summer of major change. Newcastle have moved from one of the most experienced starting line-ups in the Premier League last season to the second-youngest this time around, and injuries to Dan Burn, Joelinton, Anthony Elanga and William Osula have compounded selection pressures.
No team have faced more shots (76) in the opening weeks of the season in the top flight, while Newcastle have averaged little more than three efforts on target per game in the league. The visitors struggled to gain a foothold against an aggressive Leeds side, with influential midfielder Nico Gonzalez going off with a concussion in the 19th minute. Jaissle's vertical football, intended to "stress" the opposition, frequently gave way to long clearances aimed at Yoane Wissa and Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who were outnumbered by Leeds' three centre-backs.
Newcastle were also crowded out in midfield after Jaissle persisted with his preferred two-man pivot, and meekness in duels was exposed: they lost 56% of their duels in the first half while Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman were repeatedly outmuscled by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who scored twice. The manner of the defeat contrasted with an earlier warning when Newcastle failed to match Bournemouth's intensity and were 2-0 down after 35 minutes; on that occasion the team showed grit to come back and draw at St James' Park.
Players' reactions at full-time were visible, with one or two walking to the away end with palms raised in apology, and Jaissle has emphasised defensive basics since the loss. He said the team's "fundamentals" - being physical, intense and competitive in duels - were "non-negotiable" and urged players to take losing a duel personally, adding: "If you're tougher in the duels, if you're more aggressive, if you're more sharp and hungry to collect the second balls, then it will be automatically a huge step already. That means that you're more dominant, that you have more possession, and then that leads also to the fact that you threaten the opposition much more. So they will be the elements where we will focus on and there will be a reaction." He spent the bus journey home digging into the detail behind the defeat with his analysts.
Former Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic, reflecting on Jaissle's methods in Austria, said: "They analysed the situation and, where necessary, made one or two adjustments, but nothing drastic," and added: "I think he's still in a phase of figuring things out [at Newcastle], where he has to see for himself which players fit his system and which ones don't." Jaissle, 38, also has experience of heavy away defeats at previous clubs, including a 5-1 loss to Al-Fateh with Al-Ahli in 2023.
There is immediate attention on Newcastle's response against in-form Hull City on Saturday, and Jaissle underlined the need to learn from the setback: "We don't search for excuses, even with a young squad," he said. "We need to learn fast."