A season of harsh lessons can’t end soon enough for Eddie Howe after Newcastle were dumped out of the FA Cup by Manchester City

For Newcastle, it was like being kept at bay in a playful fight by a dismissive older brother. This applies to most teams, but they were slower, weaker and less savvy than Manchester City.

A defeat that seemed inevitable from Bernardo Silva’s 13th-minute opener – he added a second on the half-hour mark – means their wait for a national trophy will stretch to the biblical definition of a lifetime , three decades and ten.

But how many years will we add to it? Ask the same question last summer and many measured the expected wait in months, not years.

Eddie Howe had taken Newcastle to the Champions League and the Saudi-funded club were about to shake up the established order of the Premier League. Saturday was a reminder that they were kept in their place for a little while longer.

This season has been a bruising one for Newcastle, literally and metaphorically. Their transfer activity last summer was short-sighted in that it was long-term – they didn’t buy enough players at the moment.

Eddie Howe’s faltering squad suffers from lack of depth exacerbated by poor transfers

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At the Etihad, only one of their four signings featured, and that was Lewis Hall, on loan for the final 28 minutes.

Currently, they have injured players in the treatment room and on the field. How can a team hope to compete with City – or even lesser opponents – with at least four starters who aren’t 100%?

Yes, in some cases bad luck has contributed to injuries that are among the worst in the Premier League – almost 1,500 days lost – but they are also the result of a lack of experience in preparing for and managing injuries. ‘a season of four competitions. Pep Guardiola said it after this match.

“Newcastle have taken a big step and reached another level, but when it’s the first time it’s not easy for any club,” he said.

“Last season was incredible, but they played one game a week. This season they have played a lot, and it’s completely different, every three days.

“When you have experience, you can manage the training and the minutes. I’m pretty sure they will learn the lessons and make decisions to try to stay there (at the top).

One of the decisions they have to make – and will make – is to back Howe ahead of next season, because he is the reason they are here in the quarter-finals.

But Guardiola was right when he said lessons need to be learned, and his counterpart cannot count on everything being fine once the injuries are resolved. Not least because there is enough evidence to suggest that fitness problems are more than unfortunate.

Recruitment, training methods, diagnosis and treatment, playing style and personnel all need to be looked at if Newcastle are to close the gap on City and the rest.

The Magpies’ hopes of FA Cup glory were dashed in a 2-0 defeat to the reigning champions.

They proved last season that it’s not always about the money, and while the spending rules are extremely restrictive, Howe and his team have shown they are capable of beating the financial curve.

But for now, they’re going around in circles. When a season that has left them in a tailspin finally slows down, it will take some clear thinking if they really want to deal a blow to the likes of City.