Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe’s lack of cover for main striker Alexander Isak was brutally exposed in the draw at Everton.
Howe’s side had 67.9% possession in the 0-0 draw at Goodison Park but, coupled with Anthony Gordon’s first-half penalty miss, could not break through as Sean Dyche’s struggling side earned their first Premier League clean sheet this season.
Isak is currently missing with a toe injury with no guarantee of a return after the international break while injury-plagued Callum Wilson has had yet another prolonged spell on the sidelines.
Gordon was used in a central role in the first half at Everton while Harvey Barnes was utilised for a spell after the break, Newcastle enjoying plenty of the ball but never placing the home side under sustained pressure.
It was evidence of just how much Newcastle rely on the outstanding Isak and how much the lack of a reliable, fit alternative presents a problem for a side clearly short in this area.
Howe cannot address the problem until January at the earliest but this is another sign of how Newcastle’s chronic lack of transfer activity in the summer is having an impact.
The manager is now left hoping Isak returns as soon as possible or Wilson can actually get fit, otherwise Howe will be left juggling existing resources in an attempt to cover a potentially damaging gap in his squads.