5 necessary improvements required for Newcastle United ahead of West Brom clash

#1 Clark-Lejuene pair must step up in the absence of Lascelles

Magpies are certainly missing their skipper at the back

As Jamaal Lascelles continues to be on the sidelines, it is high time for Ciaran Clark and Florian Lejeune to step up and organize the defence against West Bromwich Albion.

With their skipper at the back, Newcastle conceded just 10 goals in 11 games, establishing themselves as one of the best defensive units in the league. However, following Lascelles' injury, the Magpies have conceded seven goals in the last two games, showing the impact their leader had on the pitch.

The defensive pair of Clark and Lejuene continued to struggle for a second consecutive game, as poor organization at the back was quite evidently seen during the game.

During the second goal, Clark failed to mark Gray, and instead, was seen standing several steps away from him.

Watford's third goal

During the 82nd minute of the game, Watford exploited the poor organization of Newcastle's defence yet again.

Big space left behind

Clearly, the defensive duo needs to step up their game and take early control, if the Magpies intend to return unscathed from the Hawthorns later tonight.

While the aforementioned points could be quite harsh on the players, I wish that every player considers the next game as a crucial one and puts in their best performance, validating their place in the starting line-up.