'A big worry' - Jamie Carragher fires strong Newcastle United warning ahead of Carabao Cup Final

Jamie Carragher has fired a strong warning to Newcastle United ahead of their Carabao Cup Final clash with Liverpool next weekend. The former Reds defender was on punditry duty on Sky Sports Monday Night Football ahead of the Magpies' clash with West Ham United alongside former Southampton boss Russell Martin.

The pair looked in detail at the numbers behind Newcastle's recent drop off in form, having gone from one of the Premier League's in-form sides around the festive period.

While Carragher questioned if the Magpies' had one eye on the Carabao cup Final, Martin questioned the lack of intensity in recent weeks from Eddie Howe's side but did acknowledge the injuries and suspensions the Toon have had in recent weeks.

Chronicle Live has transcribed the full transcript for you below...

Full transcript from Sky Sports Monday Night Football:

Jamie Carragher: "I think the narrative around Newcastle will be, are their heads on the Carabao Cup Final? You look at this result here, the Arsenal game. The beat Arsenal over two legs 4-0, then Birmingham, they they win but they're conceding goals. The five games since the Arsenal game, they've conceded 13 goals and we can see the numbers there. That'll be a big worry for them, not just tonight but at the weekend against the top team in the country."

David Jones: "This is pretty damning in terms of the previous six games when they won the six on the bounce and the last six games. It's all going the wrong way, not just goals-per-game which has halved, but shots are down, half as many expected-goals-per-game they're creating, their shot conversion has dropped off as well and it's the same story from the defensive picture. Look at that leap in terms of goals conceded, the number of shots faced, double the amount of xG against - the quality and quantity of the chances they are facing and that save ratio has really dropped off as well. It's about trying to create momentum and keep it in this Premier League?

Russell Martin: "Yeah but I think we have to realise those numbers from the first six games are incredible for the Premier League. Such brilliant form but I think Eddie is right he's been unlucky with injuries and suspensions. The intensity they play at, when the fixtures pile up, it's really difficult when the squad gets a bit smaller with injuries to keep going with that intensity is tough."

DJ: "Is your biggest observation or criticism if you like, Jamie, that the defending of some of the goals they've conceded has been unlike watching Newcastle?"

JC: "Yeah because Russell is right, when you think of the Eddie Howe Newcastle team, the thing that jumps out at you is intensity. Going forward and defending and no one likes to have it thrown at them that they've got their mind on something else, but cup final for a city, town and club like Newcastle when you haven't won something for so long, how emotional the city is as well. They're probably down in the dumps thinking it's the end of the world because of the run they're on and maybe they're not looking forward to next week right now. It can be completely the other way if they get a result tonight. When you look at some of the goals they've conceded of late, you can't help but think subconsciously, at the back of their minds, they're not fully at it. Now the team they're playing next week [Liverpool], they go to Anfield, of course it's a tough place to go and lose 2-0.

"The result's not the end of the world in losing 2-0 but the lack of intensity. This is just not Newcastle. Mac Allister has picked the ball up in his own box, no challenge here on Jota, Diaz is allowed to run right up into the box, again no challenge. That is not the Newcastle I know under Eddie Howe. Then you've got six players in the box, six Newcastle defenders, two attackers here completely free. That's can't happen at this level or any level of football. The ball goes into Szoboszlai and it's not even the greatest strike in the world to be honest, the goalkeeper probably should do better.

"There was a game a few weeks ago against Nottingham Forest, they were blistering in the first-half - outstanding. But they allowed Forest to come back into the game and almost leave the game with the feeling that they'd lost. Even though they got three points. This is not even a good corner (from Elliot Anderson before Forest's second goal) it's not even a good ball back in. It looks scruffy and it's just not right. People aren't on it, they're not alive, they're not switched on. This is only a few weeks ago and thinking about how they're going to play tonight and at the weekend, Eddie Howe likes his team to be man for man all over the pitch and be really aggressive.

"You see that everyone has got their man and the reason that I'm mentioning is because a lot of teams do this and it's something that we'll get into with Russell later in dealing with that and the goalkeeper being the free man. But with the defenders that they've got especially with some of the injuries, Trippier into his thirties, Dan Burn the same and Schar the same, can these players cope with being man to man with some of the best players in the Premier League on the halfway line with space in behind? Now we know Ederson is fantastic [with the ball at his feet] and it's actually Trippier who gets caught out here by Marmoush and that ball over the top. That's definitely a problem for them now certainly with some of the problems they've got at the back with Botman being out. Lewis Hall out as well, that's something to keep an eye on tonight against West Ham."