Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles has insisted that there is no need for his side to panic despite starting the season with just one point from their opening two games.
The Magpies fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend before only managing a goalless draw against Cardiff City on Saturday, missing a late penalty against their newly-promoted hosts.
Rafael Benitez's side now face a testing run of fixtures which sees them take on Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in their next three league games, but Lascelles is not daunted by the task ahead of Newcastle.
"I wouldn't say this is a difficult period at all. We'll get through these next few games. We've got a big squad and good players in every area," he told reporters.
"There's no need to panic. We started last season with two defeats, so at least we've come away from Cardiff with something. There's no point dwelling on the negatives. We have to stay positive.
"We'll just stay calm and train hard and whatever team the gaffer decides to go for in our next game, it will be a good one."
Newcastle's next match against a team that finished below them last season comes against Crystal Palace on September 22.
Barney Corkhill
