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, this was like being kept at arm’s length in a play fight by a dismissive older brother. It applies to most teams, but they were slower, weaker and less savvy than Manchester City.

A defeat that felt inevitable from the moment of Bernardo Silva’s 13th-minute opener – he added a second on the half hour – means their wait for a domestic trophy will extend to the biblical definition of a lifetime, three score years and ten.

But how many years will be added to that? Ask the same question last summer and many were measuring the expected wait in months, not years. 

Eddie Howe had taken Newcastle into the Champions League and the Saudi-funded club were about to upset the Premier League’s established order. Saturday was a reminder of them being kept in their place for a little while yet.

This season has been bruising for Newcastle, literally and metaphorically. Their transfer business last summer was short-sighted in that it was long-sighted – they did not buy enough players for the here and now.

Eddie Howe’s faltering side are suffering due to a lack of depth exacerbated by poor transfers

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

At present, they have injured players in the treatment room and on the pitch. How can any team expect to compete with City – or even lesser opponents – with at least four starters not at 100 per cent?

Yes, bad luck in some cases has contributed to injuries that rank as the Premier League’s worst – nearly 1,500 days lost – but they have also been a result of inexperience in preparing for and navigating a season of four competitions. Pep Guardiola said as much after this game.

‘Newcastle took 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 unbelievable, but they played one game a week. This season they’ve played a lot, and it’s completely different, every three days.

‘When you have experience, you can handle the training and the minutes. I’m pretty sure they will learn the lessons and take decisions to try and still be there (at the top).’

One decision they must take – and will – is to back Howe ahead of next season, for he is the reason they are here in quarter-finals.

But Guardiola was right when he said lessons need to be learned, and his opposite number cannot bank on all being well when injuries clear. Not least because there is a big enough body of evidence to suggest fitness issues are more than just 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 others. 

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

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

Right now, though, they are going around circles. When a season that has left them in a spin finally slows, it will need some clear thinking if they really are to land a blow on the likes of City.