Newcastle fans here in the Tavern still feel impressed with the start made, but gain a sense of disappointment after throwing away winning positions. 

Newcastle United have been in the news an awful lot lately, with the club being up for sale and the possible transfer budget that could yet to become a reality. But one thing that hasn’t made headlines as much as it probably should is the start that they’ve made to the season. Currently sitting in 7th position in the League table, it looks as if Benitez has got the team fine-tuned and ready to play as they now go on a run of 3 games unbeaten.

Benitez has always been one of the best managers in world football, always knowing how to resolve a situation and having the know-how of a title-winning remedy. Similar to when he resurrected the fightback in Istanbul to bring Liverpool Europen glory, he has resurrected fresh hope and ambition for the Toon Army as they dream of European football for themselves.

However, in what is already a promising position for the Tyneside club, there is still plenty of improvements to be made as certain factors have caused for results to somewhat switch against his side after impressive performances. For any team to stay in the Premier League and succeed, one thing that becomes a must is the consistency and importance of taking chances. Because against the best teams in England, you don’t get many opportunities to punish them, so when one comes about you’d be stupid to waste it.

Next up for the Tyneside club is the high flying Burnley who can leapfrog Newcastle with a win at Turf Moor. For a side that have already caused an upset against Chelsea, and draws against Liverpool and Tottenham, it looks as if this is going to be a tough old game for Benitez and his side as they’ve only lost the 1 game at home all season.

So here’s a look at how Benitez can fix any underlying problems ahead of the clash with Burnley…

Taking their chances

It’s always been known to both fans and pundits that the one area Newcastle are lacking in is the striking department. Having opted to sign Joselu in the summer months, Benitez was hoping that the Spanish forward would begin firing for the club. However, only 4 of the 12 goals scored this season have come from the services of any of the Toon Army’s strike force, as they continue to struggle.

In placing 7th and 6th in the Premier League for the amount of shots taken and the amount of big chances missed, the problem begins to be seen as the striking area, causing many promising opportunities to be squandered.

So therefore, if United are to not only pull off a result in a tough fixture away at Burnley against what is a side who have only conceded 9 goals all season. They’re also going to need to find their shooting boots as the constant choice of Joselu doesn’t look to be working out for the side.

Passing problems

For a team who sit in 7th position, it becomes unimaginable that they’d be at the forefront of any form of passing difficulties.

But 9 games into the season, the Toon Army find themselves sitting at a measly 17th position in the completed passes rankings, as they seem to struggle to provide the passing style of play that Benitez so highly promotes. However, the passing finesse of the Newcastle players in the center of the park could be hampered, as the constant chopping and changing could lead to players becoming out of touch as they struggle for form.

This could well be down to the nature of how Newcastle are set up, as they have been found the come out with less possession for the most of their season’s matches.

Setting them up for the counter-attack seems to be working for Benitez and his side, but if they are going to want to challenge for a European spot then this will have to change, as they can’t always rely on shutting out the opposition in the defensive third.

So United fans, thoughts on the two current problems for your side?