Matthias Jaissle accused his Newcastle United players of failing to follow his tactical plan during Monday night's 1-0 home defeat against Everton.
The under-pressure manager saw his team fail to register a single shot on target until the 85th minute at St James's Park. Frontman Will Osula was left isolated in attack as Newcastle repeatedly bypassed midfield with long balls against the coach's instructions, leaving the striker unable to make an impression on the game.
The result leaves Newcastle sitting 13th in the Premier League table after losing four of their last five matches in all competitions.
Thierno Barry scored a second-half goal to inflict Newcastle's second defeat by Everton in the space of five days, following a 3-1 loss on Merseyside in the Carabao Cup last Thursday.
Frustration over abandoned gameplan
Speaking after the match, Jaissle was furious that his squad failed to carry their midweek preparation onto the pitch. "There is big frustration and disappointment," said the German, who replaced Eddie Howe this summer.
"We could not transfer what we saw in the week, training in a high level," Jaissle said. "Since the start of the game, not much was seen. That is difficult to understand. We were not brave enough to break the line and play on the ground. We saw it in training, but there was almost nothing to see from these aspects in the game. In possession, this was not the level we wanted to see."
The manager made clear that direct distribution did not suit his centre-forward. "If you just play long balls, it's not the style Osula prefers and that was not the plan," Jaissle said. "We have a clear identity of how we want to play. To bring the opposition in stressful situations high in the pitch. We spoke about creating one-on-one situations. The plan was not to shoot the long balls."
Managerial transition and recent slump
Newcastle compete in the Premier League, the top division of English football, where high expectations surround the club at their 52,000-seat home in the north-east of England. Replacing Howe, who led Newcastle back into European competition, represented a significant tactical shift, but the side has struggled for consistency during an alarming autumn run.
Jaissle accepted full responsibility for reversing the team's fortunes. "We need to analyse this in depth, why we could not start the game how we planned," he said. "I'm responsible for that, to make it work."
David Moyes praises Everton resilience
Everton manager David Moyes paid tribute to his players after they completed a quick double over Newcastle. "They are so good in what they do as they give everything they've got," Moyes said. "They're a brilliant group of players and they've had it tough as well. They want to keep winning and they've found it difficult with the way things have gone, but they're pulling it out and doing their best to be in all the games."
Moyes stressed the difficulty of winning at St James's Park twice in one week. "It's never easy... we beat Newcastle on Thursday night and to beat them again today is not an easy thing to do for any club at this level," Moyes added. "To come here and get a good win was a great result for us."
