Steve Bruce on Newcastle United's 'difficult moment', thirteen-hour drought and what Leeds United could expect against Magpies
STEVE Bruce admits Leeds United's next opponents Newcastle United are in need of more creativity going forward, in what is a "difficult moment" for his team.
Leeds face Newcastle in their next Premier League fixture next Tuesday evening at St James' Park but the Magpies will first visit Aston Villa this weekend for a Saturday night 8pm kick-off.
Bruce's side fell to a 3-0 loss at Arsenal on Monday night and the 15th-placed Magpies have now gone nine games without a victory in league and cup, with five of their last seven Premier League games ending in defeat.
That run started with the 5-2 loss at Leeds on December 16 and Bruce admits his side need to restore the confidence which has "ebbed away" during the recent barren run.
Newcastle have scored just twice since their hammering at Elland Road and both goals have come from set pieces via a Callum Wilson penalty in December's 1-1 draw at home to Fulham and an Andy Carroll header from a free-kick in January's 2-1 loss at home to Leicester City.
It means the Magpies have gone over 13 hours (784 minutes) without scoring a goal in open play since Jeff Hendrick's strike at Leeds and Bruce switched to a two-man strike force of pairing Wilson and Carroll together in Monday's clash at Arsenal.
Bruce said his side were suffering from being without French winger Allan Saint-Maximin with a hamstring injury but the Magpies boss said he would have a look at still fielding two upfront in his side's upcoming games.
"We'll have a look," said Bruce to Sky Sports, asked if the two upfront would be something he would persist with.
"The one thing we have to do to win a match is score a goal and we need to be a bit more creative in the final third.
"We are missing arguably our best player at that which has been a big miss to miss to us but hopefully his return will give us something going forward in the next few weeks or whatever.
"We've played it a lot this season (the 4-4-2).
"We've got the ability to change, we have played two strikers and I think in the five games we have won we have played with two strikers so it's not just alien to us.
"We have played it in probably 50 per cent of the games this year."
Newcastle sit on 19 points - four points behind 12th-placed Leeds having played the same amount of games.
Bruce's side are now only two points ahead of fifth-bottom Brighton following Saturday's 1-0 win for the Seagulls at Leeds.
Second-bottom West Brom also closed the gap with Saturday's 3-2 success at Wolves.
The Magpies are still seven points clear of the dropzone but both third-bottom Fulham and fourth-bottom Brighton have a game in hand on both Newcastle and Leeds.
Asked how much of a concern the wins for Brighton and West Brom were, Bruce admitted: "You are going to have tough moments if you are in the Premier League and you are in the bottom half and you go through runs like we are on at the moment.
"You've got to dust yourselves down and get ready for the challenge of what is ahead and try and get that little bit of confidence, whatever it is, get that confidence back and winning a couple of games is the only way you get it."
Bruce added: "We're having a difficult moment at the moment.
"That little bit of confidence ebbs away at you.
"We are on a difficult run of course and the only way through it is to keep working away and hope that results change and bring that little bit of confidence back."
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Thank you Laura Collins