Newcastle United have not started the season well and the boos that rang out after their home defeat by Aston Villa were an amalgamation of frustration and concern that has been building for weeks.

For Matthias Jaissle, a rookie manager in the Premier League, the problems are mounting and the frailties and weaknesses are becoming more apparent with every game. Telegraph Sport identifies the issue and analyses what needs to change if Newcastle are going to get back on track.

Vertical football looks like naive football

When asked about his “vertical football” philosophy, Jaissle welcomed the question like a proud parent talking about a prodigious child. He made it clear that vertical means getting the ball forward as often and as quickly as possible, whether that is long balls from the back or looking for a quick forward pass when possession is won high up the pitch or in midfield.

But what he stressed is that his approach is a mindset rather than a tactic. He wants his team to be bold, front-footed and progressive. To look forward, not back, when they are in possession.

You can see why he impressed sporting director Ross Wilson and chief executive David Hopkinson during the interview process. So impressed, they paid almost £9m to extract the 38-year-old German from his contract with Saudi club Al-Ahli, believing he was the perfect successor to Eddie Howe.

However, up to this point, vertical football has looked naive and ineffective. Newcastle have looked like a rudimentary long-ball team, pumping high balls forward, often aimlessly, for small forwards to compete against far bigger and stronger centre-backs.

The first ball is not necessarily the most important. Even if you do not win the first header, Newcastle are supposed to compete for the second ball and win those duels when the opposition’s defensive structure is still open. In theory, there is nothing wrong with this style, but Newcastle are not winning the first balls or the second ones.

Rather than pressing the opposition high, it might be better to drop back and counter in the old-fashioned sense of the word. That is what they did really well against Liverpool and Tottenham at the start of the season.

There were moments against Aston Villa that summed up their woes, as you watched Yoane Wissa, Joelinton and Joe Willock dropping back to defend and then sprint up the pitch chasing these long balls. Villa’s defenders took control and then passed through Newcastle’s ineffective press, sending the trio sprinting back having been taken out of play.

The return to fitness of Will Osula should help Jaissle. He is quick, but he is also strong and can play with his back to goal. For vertical football to work it needs someone who can trouble centre-backs by holding the ball up, unsettling them physically while also offering a threat running in behind.

Vertical football will not work with Wissa or Matias Fernandez-Pardo playing centre-forward. If Osula is not available – he is working his way back to match fitness – it would be stubborn to the point of reckless to continue with this approach.

Jaissle must consider change in formation

What Newcastle do not want is a manager so wedded to a formation that he ignores the fact that he does not have the players to implement it. That is what happened with Ruben Amorim at Manchester United and we all know how that ended.

Some of Jaissle’s early detractors have pondered whether the German is going to make the same fatal error as the Portuguese, but sources behind the scenes insist this is not the case. They say Jaissle will adapt and learn from his mistakes.

It is still far too early to draw a definitive conclusion on his style and approach. He only had three weeks of pre-season, was not heavily involved in recruitment and is learning on the job. He must be given time to get his ideas across and Telegraph Sport has been told he will tinker with both formation and tactics.

Newcastle were better in the second half against Villa and this has been a feature of their performances this season. They have not put a complete 90-minute performance together since the opening day against Liverpool, but they have not been terrible for an entire game either.

What they do need is greater protection of the defence. Neither of the centre-backs, Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw, is playing well. Dan Burn will surely start as soon as he is fit enough to do so.

But it is also worth considering whether Newcastle need to switch to a 5-3-2 with wing-backs or even a fluid 5-4-1. They need more bodies in the middle of the pitch because teams are finding it far too easy to overwhelm them in that area. Nico González is the holding midfielder but lacks mobility and needs help.

When you are too open and easy to score against, making things tighter at the back should be the first priority. Newcastle have been too front-footed – while still failing to create enough goalscoring opportunities – so going back to basics against Crystal Palace feels prudent.

Find a way to get Sean Steur in the starting XI

One of the main benefits of picking more midfield players is the opportunity for Steur to come back into the team. The Dutch midfielder, a £20m signing from Ajax, is very young (18) and inexperienced. Physically he has struggled to play a full 90 minutes and Jaissle wants to nurture him carefully. When he plays you need someone physical alongside him to win tackles and cover the ground shutting down space. He has not started a game since before the international break.

But what Steur brings is vision, an ability to take the ball in tight spaces under pressure. He is the link player between defence and attack and an outstanding prospect.

He was signed as the long-term replacement for Bruno Guimarães and was supposed to learn from the Brazil international this season until Newcastle’s captain demanded his move to Arsenal.

It is far from ideal, but Newcastle need to throw Steur back into the mix and let him grow and develop. He will make mistakes and may have to come out of the team for his own protection, but he is the future and Jaissle needs to trust him more.

Play a full-back at right-back

Lewis Miley looked more than competent at right-back under Howe, but he is a midfielder and has looked like one this season. He was at fault for Villa’s goal, letting Yohan Manzambi drift away from him easily in the box and he has not looked a threat going forward either.

Injuries to Amar Dedic and Tino Livramento forced Jaissle to put Miley into that position, but Dedic is on the bench and, if fit, needs to start. Newcastle need a specialist in that position, especially if they switch to a formation requiring wing-backs. Dedic is excellent going forward and so is Livramento. Their return to fitness would give Newcastle a threat down both flanks which will give the team far more balance.