Eddie Howe says Newcastle United didn't do enough to help an 'isolated' Alexander Isak as the Magpies struggled to a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth. It was a lacklustre affair at St James' Park with the Swede salvaging a point from the penalty spot in the second-half.
Isak made no mistake from 12 yards but cut a frustrated figure during the 90 minutes on Saturday, with Newcastle's fellow attackers failing to find him on a number of occasions. The former Real Sociedad man may be partnered alongside Callum Wilson in attack upon his return from injury but must try and find a way to work with Miguel Almiron and Ryan Fraser in the meantime.
"He's learning. Not just how the team plays but also how the team-mates around him play," Howe said. "There were flashes form him today though I don't think we as a team did enough around him to get him into goalscoring positions.
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"We didn't give him the ball early enough. I agree he was a little bit isolated. He didn't get involved enough in the key areas that he wants to.
"Let's look at the positives. He took his penalty brilliantly and he works hard for the team so he definitely contributed but we know we can involve him more."
Isak's strike means he has found the net in two of his three performances in a black and white shirt this season but the 22-year-old admits it was a disappointing afternoon, despite netting his first St James' Park goal.
"I don't think we really reached our level today," he told NUFC TV. "With the ball or without the ball. We had our chances and create like we always do but with a bit of luck we may have won the game. It's disappointing that we didn't get the three points today."
