Newcastle United are being over-run - and the stats back up what we all can see

Newcastle United's crop of young stars are currently on a steep learning curve - and sometimes lessons along the way can feel particularly tough. That was certainly the case at Elland Road on Monday night, where Matthias Jaissle's side were given an emphatic reminder of what happens when your standards slip in the Premier League.

Leeds United are no great shakes, but in reality their margin of victory could have been larger, such was their dominance in front of the TV cameras.

Jaissle has rightly spoken about the fact this side are far from the finished product, and there will be inevitable ups and downs as they develop into what could be a quality top-flight outfit. But the defeat at Leeds wasn't just a bump in the road. It was a full-on smack in the face that, in truth, had been on the cards.

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Any knee-jerk reactions and tearing up of plans would be foolish at such an early stage of the season, but it has been clear for some weeks that the on-field set-up isn't quite right.

Jaissle wants his players to be brave, and he has set the example by opting for a more attacking line-up, on paper at least, that has seen Yoane Wissa deployed as deep-lying forward, behind a more advanced striker. It worked reasonably well against Liverpool when William Osula was able to lead the line, but less so in his absence, with Joe Willock and then Matias Fernandez-Pardo unable to make any impression.

The bigger issue is that the midfield is being over-run. A two-man unit simply cannot cope with the space they need to cover and as a consequence are offering nothing going forward but scant cover for the backline. Just look at how many shots United are facing each game. There is no screen.

Losing Nico Gonzalez early on to concussion was a blow, but did it really change anything other than to increase United's lack of experience when Sean Steur replaced him?

Neither Steur nor Lewis Miley were able to get forward to support the forward players, while a look at the average positions at Monday night tells its own story. You could drive a bus through United's midfield, so an energised trio of Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach had a field day.

The average positions of the Leeds (black) and Newcastle United (purple) midfielders

The stats make for alarming reading. Miley registered no successful tackles and won no aerial duels. Steur committed the most fouls (four) and was repeatedly caught out in transition.

Let's be clear. This is not pointing the finger at two young, talented footballers. It's pointing out they are in desperate need of another body in the mix.

Compare Wissa and Stach's heatmaps. Wissa is a striker, being asked to play a little deeper, Stach is a midfielder given licence to get foward. The difference is remarkable.

Yoane Wissa's heatmap against Leeds

Anton Stach's heatmap against Newcastle

Wissa's workrate was again impressive, but compared to Stach, he spent little time in the pocket, where he could get behind the Leeds midfield, and had precious few forays into their box. By contrast, Stach dominated the centre circle while also getting forward in both wide areas.

Leeds' midfield trio enjoyed the free run of Elland Road. Ampadu made nine recoveries, Stach created three chances and Tanaka had a 95.3 per cent pass accuracy. The stats back up what the eyes are telling many fans.

Newcastle were second best against Bournemouth but fought back well to earn a point. They struggled to break down an injury-hit Millwall and had to survive a few scares at Tottenham before taking control in the second half.

We're only a few games into the season and it would be wrong to draw sweeping conclusions just yet. After all, the same concessions should be offered to Jaissle, making his way in a new league, as are being given to the new signings still learning the ropes.

But until the midfield battle changes in Newcastle's favour, there could be a few more nights like Monday to endure.