Well, the defiant feel-good factor that characterised the first month of Matthias Jaissle's time in the Premier League has evaporated after Newcastle United were put to the sword at Elland Road on Monday evening.

It was a reality check, to be sure, but few members of the Newcastle persuasion were under the illusion that the Magpies were ready to challenge for Champions League at this nascent stage of a new era.

Still, Jaissle and the rest will now know the scale of the task up ahead; with so many new signings bedding in, it will take time for the Toon to return to the kind of form that immortalised Eddie Howe on Tyneside.

Jaissle will need the more experienced members of the squad to lead by example, but sadly, that didn't prove the case against Leeds, with Jacob Murphy showing why he should be nowhere near the starting line-up.

The decline of Jacob Murphy at Newcastle

Murphy has been a part of the Newcastle make-up for some time. He has been through the paces, once written off as below the expected standard, only to work tirelessly to win Howe over and become one of the most valued parts of that title-winning system.

Across the triumphant 2024/25 campaign, he notched 23 goal involvements in total - including an assist for Alexander Isak to make it 2-0 at Wembley.

But last year, he ebbed away as the Magpies slumped, unable to produce his typical creative and connective performances from the right flank. Murphy scored three goals and registered two assists, with the underlying data illustrating his struggles in general phases of play. He ranked among the bottom 12% of players for duels won (3.11) and defensive contributions made (5.01) per 90.

He will forever be remembered as a cult hero, but Murphy, 31 years old, is past his best, and that was clear against Leeds, who swarmed and overwhelmed the winger, who replaced Anthony Elanga on the right following the Swedish star's concerning injury in training.

Murphy failed to create a chance or complete any of his three attempted crosses into the danger area. He lost the ball 14 times, though, meaning he did so once every two touches.

Jaissle and PIF may well be frustrated that they did not take Nottingham Forest up on their £15m offer to bring the veteran over to the City Ground this summer. Murphy has yet to prove that he can be a positive difference-maker in this new, more aggressive system.

However, he's not the only one, with another one-time mainstay looking like a big problem for Jaissle to sort out.

The new Matt Targett is becoming a big problem

At least Murphy is out of contract at the end of the season. However, Newcastle may find themselves with a Targett-esque issue if they're not careful, one of the club's biggest earners flattering to deceive so far this season.

The warning signs have been clear for quite some time. At Elland Road, Sven Botman was caught at the centre of a Leeds attacking storm, the Dutch defender sadly no longer the machine of a player who showed such promise when joining Howe's project from Lyon for £35m in 2022.

Injuries have ravaged him. Newcastle have lost a player who could have been something special, but Jaissle cannot get caught up in sentiment, with Botman proving a hindrance thus far, carrying poor pre-season form into a competitive setting. "Even his ball-playing is not the same as it was" said analyst Raj Chohan after the game. "Sad to see."

Targett was once a solid Premier League left-back, but he earned a pretty penny at Newcastle and it proved difficult for Howe to offload him. Indeed, the 30-year-old completed only 22 league appearances across three years on Tyneside, spending the 2024/25 campaign on loan with Middlesbrough before leaving this summer when his contract expired.

Now, Botman might sadly echo that disappointing journey, contracted to the club until 2030, yet hardly pulling his weight. His injury record and high salary may make it tough to offload him.

Against Leeds, there's a case to be made that Botman was the weakest link on the pitch, his blushes spared from turning to a deeper hue by the resilient performance of Lukas Hornicek between the sticks.

Unlike Murphy, who is ageing and at the end of their journey at St. James' Park, Botman should still have more to give. Aged 26, his ostensible prime is still ahead of him, and earning £90k-per-week, Botman dwarfs Murphy's £35k-per-week salary.

Newcastle don't exactly have a defensive surplus right now, and Botman will be needed throughout the campaign. He needs to stay fit and produce strong performances from the rearguard, but thus far, that doesn't seem likely, with four direct errors made across four games.

Fabian Schar will be itching to reclaim a starting berth, but whichever way you look at it, Botman's form is becoming a significant concern for Jaissle, and like Targett, it may be something of a struggle to offload him if it persists.