Every week, Newcastle have adjusted their standards of playing style and goals for this season. Through each round, they play football, win and celebrate enthusiastically. Just like that, The Magpies are in the group to play in the Champions League.
At this time last year, when not yet taken over by the Saudi Arabia authorities, the "Magpies" were in 19th place with the same number of points as their current ranking, having not won any matches since the beginning of the season. The sale between the former owner Mike Ashley and the new leadership team also left many uncomfortable eyes on both sides, but after all, Newcastle came back to life. It's just that even those involved like the players and the coaching staff didn't expect everything to go so smoothly, since Christmas last year until now.
After the away win over Tottenham, which destroyed Aston Villa at home, Eddie Howe had to exclaim, he was very satisfied with the current team because of the solid foundation they all have. The first few minutes of the deadlock against Villa were a huge challenge, like a wall preventing Newcastle from continuing to flourish. However, from Callum Wilson, Joelinton to Miguel Almiron, they have focused on trampling it in just 22 minutes with 4 goals.
Since the beginning of the year, Newcastle have won 18 Premier League matches. This month, they also ended with 5 wins and 1 draw, equal the club's record for the most wins in 1 month. In the last 16 matches in all competitions, Newcastle have only lost once.
Not only has Newcastle won many, they also know how to score in each victory, as they have scored 4 or more goals against their opponents twice in the same period. Notable among them is Miguel Almiron, who has now scored 6 goals in his last 6 matches. The Paraguay striker is a South American player with a scoring efficiency that is only behind Neymar in the top 5 European championships.
"We are currently operating well and have a position on the rankings that is worth the effort. The whole team needs to maintain the way of playing and luckily, Newcastle's force is enough to serve that well. The performances are getting more confident and the club have a good enough manager to keep everyone's feet on the ground.
We always think about how to win. The matches are getting more and more and it passes very quickly, so the whole team has to try very hard. As players, everyone wants to win, but besides what we have, each of us needs to gradually improve our shortcomings, despite the fact that the results are still good.
Newcastle has not been able to play up to the highest standards we have set for ourselves. It's a good thing that the whole team always knows that to try" - Kieran Trippier shared.
Newcastle have never set a goal of winning a Champions League ticket this season, and are not crazy enough to win the Champions League in the near future. Howe himself received this question in the press conference room. The English captain modestly said, that was an exaggerated question. Last week, when asked about Man City's competitors, Pep Guardiola also listed Newcastle as one of the notable names.
"We are very proud of what is happening because Newcastle have gone through a very difficult period. It is undeniable that the change brought by the new leadership is the coach who has made the biggest mark. Since the beginning of the season, he has been steadfast in how the team plays, how it attacks, and how it adapts to each opponent. The players have struggled to get what Howe wants and train hard on the pitch, thereby extending the current good results" - Trippier shared.
