What, Howe and why: big questions Saudi owners may ask under-fire Newcastle manager | Louise Taylor

Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa (right) scores his only league goal so far this season – at Burnley in December. That game was one of only four league starts since his £55m arrival. Photograph: Lee Parker/CameraSport/Getty Images

Why are you wedded to a high-energy version of 4-3-3?

Admittedly 4-3-3 served Newcastle very well when the Carabao Cup was won last season and in achieving Champions League qualification twice in three years but with that system’s spearhead, Alexander Isak, sold to Liverpool for £125m last summer, does it still work?

Would a switch to 3-5-2, 4-3-1-2 or 4-4-2 better utilise Woltemade’s skills while camouflaging his flaws? Admittedly the “two-metre Messi” is a bit slow and not the best in the air but he is technically brilliant and blessed with the knack of creating and converting chances. In other words, a forward likened to Harry Kane by Gordon may thrive slightly deeper, playing between the lines as a No 10. Why not try Woltemade behind Wissa and perhaps shift to a slightly more possession-based style?

Second-half burnout appears to be a problem for Newcastle, who have surrendered 25 potential points from winning positions this season – more than any other top-tier side. Why have Newcastle conceded 19 league goals after the 75th minute? Is the high-intensity, hard-pressing, often counterattacking, philosophy to blame? Has athleticism been prioritised at the expense of imaginative incision? The team’s running statistics are better than those recorded during the past two seasons while virtually all other key metrics have declined. Explain.

A stretching Nick Woltemade scores Newcastle United’s second goal against Chelsea in December – but opportunities as striker appear to have dried up. Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

Have the players stopped listening to their manager?

After the recent home defeat by Bournemouth Howe hesitated for seven seconds when asked whether the squad shared his “fire”. It was an uncomfortable pause and, although he finally said the players were “committed” and has subsequently diagnosed “confidence” as the root problem, this view appears undermined by Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimarães. Trippier said he and his teammates “deserved to be booed” after the Bournemouth defeat, and Guimarães, the captain, recently told Brazilian television: “I don’t know if some players got a little complacent but, overall, we got a little complacent. It’s not a good season.” Has Howe struggled to repair faultlines in a dressing room arguably fractured by Isak’s acrimonious departure last summer? Is he the right manager to preside over a sizeable summer rebuild after the expected departure of Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and Gordon and older stalwarts including Trippier and Fabian Schär?

Anthony Gordon is expected to depart Newcastle this summer, with a sizeable rebuild on the cards. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

Have you become set in your ways? Are groupthink and trust problems?

With the exception of the Danish set-piece specialist Martin Mark, Newcastle’s coaching staff are largely British and, in many cases, also worked with Howe at Bournemouth. Is a new, possibly foreign, senior coach with fresh ideas and an alternative mindset needed? And, if so, would Howe and his longstanding sidekick, Jason Tindall, be prepared to trust “an outsider”?

Ross Wilson is the third sporting director appointed during Howe’s tenure. Howe never bonded with Paul Mitchell, Wilson’s predecessor, and his exit last June left Howe and his nephew Andy Howe, who has a senior recruitment role, with a big say in squad refreshment. About £225m was spent on Woltemade, Wissa, Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey and a £4m loan fee was paid for Aaron Ramsdale. All five have struggled and their cost has left the club potentially in breach of European spending rules. Will they come good? Howe demands a big say over transfers; is he willing to allow Wilson, whose knowledge of less “obvious” markets is extensive, to dilute it? David Hopkinson, Newcastle’s chief executive, has implemented a “one club” philosophy but Howe restricts some employees’ training-ground access. Is he prepared to embrace increased integration?