Newcastle United were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa on Saturday evening – a third defeat in four games for the Magpies.

A relatively good start has petered out into a string of insipid losses. Newcastle are still 11^th, but they are only three points above the bottom three.

So, what did this latest defeat tell us about the state of things on Tyneside?

Jaissle’s Team Has No Identity Yet

After a great two opening games against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle have struggled to implement Matthias Jaissle’s “vertical football”. The style of play has veered wildly between exciting counter-attacking football and long balls punted hopefully up the pitch.

There were warning signs, especially in the two games before the international break: Newcastle are too open and easy to play through, especially in midfield. They were punished by Leeds United and were lucky to get away with it against Hull City.

Since the season resumed a couple of weeks ago, they have got worse. To try and mitigate this, Jaissle played Joelinton alongside Nico González to give the midfield more experience.

Joelinton was supposed to add the physicality that Newcastle have been lacking in midfield, and he certainly did that – he was booked in the 18^th minute for a typically wild challenge – but he didn’t do much else.

He and Joe Willock pushed forward, trying to create things, but that left Nico exposed and Villa cut Newcastle open multiple times because of this.

Jaissle keeps moving his players around, which seems to be adding to the confusion. Matias Fernandez-Pardo was pushed out to the wing after his unsuccessful stint as a striker, but he didn’t create anything of note and was hooked in the 56^th minute for Bazoumana Touré.

He can’t seem to decide who to play in the ten role. It was Willock this time, but he only had one shot and didn’t create much else.

Yes, Jaissle has been forced to shuffle his pack because of injuries, but it feels like he is trying to put players into roles that don’t suit them purely so he can play his 4-2-3-1 formation.

A change of formation may help, but is he prepared to do that?

The Players Responded to Coventry Defeat

The team took a lot of stick after the 4-1 loss to Coventry City, but they did come out with the right attitude.

They went toe-to-toe with Villa for the first half an hour, but had the stuffing knocked out of them after Johan Manzambi’s goal in the 35^th minute.

After that, they reverted to type and lost their shape – and their heads. They were lucky not to go in at half-time further behind as Villa took control.

Newcastle came out fighting in the second half. They pinned Villa back as they went in search of an equaliser, but they just couldn’t create enough big chances. They had 16 shots but only one of those was on target.

Their confidence is low right now, but at least they didn’t give up.

Why Didn’t Sean Steur Play?

Steur was an unused substitute, and his exclusion left many people scratching their heads.

He was player of the match against Hull and played well on international duty for the Netherlands Under-21s, but he hasn’t played a minute for his club since coming back.

According to Jaissle, that is due to his age, and because the 18-year-old is competing with the more experienced Nico for one of the two midfield places.

“First of all, he’s one of the youngest lads, so that’s something we mentioned from the start, that it needs time,” Jaissle said. “I mentioned it, that Nico was doing it today, he’s very good, he’s a leader for a young squad in that position.

“So that’s sometimes not only something with the player who’s not playing, that’s also an aspect for the lad who’s playing.”

What’s that old saying: if you’re good enough, you’re old enough? Steur is definitely good enough.

Surely now is the time to bring him back into the side. Nico hasn’t looked the same since his concussion, and Newcastle need to change it up. Steur showed against Hull that he can run a game when he is allowed, and he has the sort of incisive passing that can open opposition teams up.

He also left Ajax because of a lack of game time. The last thing Newcastle want is one of their brightest young prospects getting itchy feet.

Could Steur come back into the side against Crystal Palace on Sunday? I certainly hope so.