Newcastle United made a statement of intent with a clinical performance to see off Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the Premier League campaign. The feel-good atmosphere that has germinated around St James’ Park since the takeover from PIF was evident from the off with a sell-out crowd cheering on the Magpies against the newly-promoted Forest. Eddie Howe’s men were patient against Forest after playing out a goalless first half. However, the home side had to wait until the 65th minute for their first goal of the campaign when Fabian Schar blasted in a screamer from 20 yards. Callum Wilson then wrapped up the points with a deft finish to ensure that Newcastle did not have to wait 15 games as they did in the previous campaign to secure their first win.
Doing A Leicester?
Newcastle were excellent last season under Howe, and will be targeting a top-half finish, but the momentum being built on Tyneside is not too dissimilar from the run Leicester City enjoyed in the 2015/16 campaign. The Foxes pulled off one of the greatest underdog stories in the history of football to rise from relegation candidates to Premier League champions in a whirlwind 12 months. The Magpies were similarly staring into the abyss before the arrival of PIF and Howe, heading towards the Championship under the tenures of Mike Ashley as chairman and Steve Bruce in the dugout. However, Howe and a slew of new arrivals changed the mood at St James’ Park and steered Newcastle to safety with several games to spare.
It is a testament to the skill of Howe and the improvement of Newcastle’s squad and they need to continue to harness that spirit that propelled them out of the relegation zone in the last campaign. That spirit could well lead to an incredible run to the top of the Premier League, although ‘performing a Leicester’ is an incredibly hard feat to master given the dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. When Leicester lifted the Premier League title, there was a perfect storm of elements at work where all the leading clubs in the top flight managed to underperform, leaving the crown there for the Foxes to snatch. Claudio Ranieri and his team still had to go out there and perform, and Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kanté were nothing short of sensational throughout the campaign supported by a solid backline to win the crown.
Top Talent
Newcastle have invested heavily in their squad since the arrival of PIF, and do have elements of the Leicester theme in their starting line-up. Wilson scores goals, that’s a fact. The problem has been his fitness. If Newcastle can get an entire season out of the 28-year-old, then he could challenge the 20-goal mark in the Premier League. Allan Saint-Maximin has qualities of Mahrez, boasting the speed and trickery, but he needs to improve his production in the final third. At times he can be frustrating, but there is undoubted talent and if he can turn that potential into goals and assists on a level that Mahrez provided there is hope for Newcastle to achieve a push towards the top six in the 2022/23 campaign.
The ace in the hole is Bruno Guimaraes. Eyebrows were raised that Newcastle were able to secure his signature rather than a move to an established top-six club in January 2022. He took time to bed into the line-up, but he has been a revelation since settling. The Brazilian had the ball on a string against Forest, controlling the middle of the park. He can be Newcastle’s Kanté, albeit not the same style of player, but the one that every club in Europe will be clambering for in the next summer transfer window.
The backline too looks stout, build with experience and potential. Schar and Dan Burn were excellent against Forest, with Sven Botman waiting in the wings. There are not going to be many teams that will relish facing Newcastle this season and it could be the start of something special. It is unlikely to be as remarkable as Leicester’s rise to the Premier League crown, but it could lead to European football at St James’ Park in 2023 and beyond.