Newcastle boss Eddie Howe rejected criticism of Kieran Trippier after defeat at Everton.
Newcastle lost 3-0 on Thursday with Trippier at fault for two of the goals.
Howe said: "Kieran Trippier has been absolutely magnificent since signing for the club and has been the catalyst of our success. Collectively we were off our best today.
"The game was there for us to win in the second half. The first half was even and we had them penned in in the second half. We conceded the first goal and it changed the momentum of the match. Frustrating and a chance missed."
Howe continued: "We have to be better. But yes there are reasons behind every performance. We have struggled in our running. We don't have the ability to change the game.
"That's just not there for us. It's a big miss, we have quality players that just aren't there for us at the minute. You can do it (keep playing the same team) for a short period of time. But the longer you do it becomes impossible.
"But I am still disappointed. It was a missed opportunity for us and I don't think we grabbed it. I have to call the performance as I see it, we weren't at our best.
"The beauty of football is that you have another game. We are desperate for help with players back and hopefully that will happen."