Matthias Jaissle insisted managing Newcastle United is a privilege as he rejected talk of being under huge pressure following successive defeats.

Newcastle have struggled on their return to action following the international break, following up a 4-1 loss at Coventry City that saw them punished for failing to take first-half chances with a 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in which there was an absence of clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.

The Magpies sit 11th in the Premier League, three points above the relegation zone but just two adrift of the top six at this still early stage of the season.

However, ahead of Sunday’s trip to a Crystal Palace side just one point behind them in the table, Jaissle is in obvious need of a result, though he made it clear he is not feeling any additional strain because of recent poor results.

“I always said that it’s a privilege to be the coach of Newcastle United,” Jaissle told his pre-match press conference.

“I would not say that’s a huge pressure, I would use another word. It’s a great and a huge responsibility to take that job, to also lead them throughout the negative period. That was something we were aware of. 

“There were already positive signs in the start of the season. Now there’s a setback at the moment, and you need to overcome that. 

“The disappointment of the fans is a part of the game. They’re passionate, especially our supporters, but they’re great and then it’s also normal that they show the disappointment.

“This is normal in football, they have high expectations. They deserve to have these high expectations and we need to deliver.”

Newcastle forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo is a doubt due to illness, but winger Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey are both in contention to return to the squad following injury absences.

The Magpies have dealt with a significant number of injuries in the opening months of the season, their win over Hull City before the international break coming with nine first-team players unavailable.

And Jaissle, who took over in August following the departure of Eddie Howe in a summer that also saw former captain Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon depart, pointed to the limited time he has had to work with a full squad as a key reason why his players have yet to fully adapt to his style of play.

Asked how far away his team are from the vision of where he wants Newcastle to be, Jaissle replied: “We have for sure a lot of potential, I don’t want to name a percentage but there’s still quite a good gap to be refilled.

“I mentioned also a couple of days ago within the club to some decision-makers that sometimes we still feel in the pre-season when we train with the group now finally with almost every player on the pitch. That was not possible in the past weeks.

“We’re still implementing basics for our way of playing so it takes time, this is a process. The good part is that everyone within the club is realistic and can see that.”