While the likes of Liverpool and Leicester will be certainly glad of the upcoming World Cup break, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for Magpies fans, who are having the time of their lives as Eddie Howe’s men continue their top form and positioning in the top four.
In the Premier League, the club are unbeaten since August, having only been defeated by Liverpool and the momentum created has left even the players ruing the upcoming break.
Following the club’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa, Callum Wilson, who could be in line for an England call up for Qatar said, “You don’t want the season to stop, you don’t want teams to gather momentum in the off-season break and you also want to carry on your own form and momentum. If you go to the World Cup, you’re like I don’t mind it stopping because I get to experience the World Cup.
“But if you don’t, it’s almost like you’d rather carry on playing a Premier League campaign rather than having time off to go here, there and everywhere with training camps. You’d rather just play, play, play, which is what we’re used to.”
There is a fear of that break stopping the momentum built by the Magpies, while there will also be a fear of key players getting injured, meaning the next three games really need to be maximised in order to get back to the Premier League in late December in the best possible position.
Those three games do provide the club with a good opportunity for at least three points, with both Southampton and Crystal Palace (EFL Cup) games in which Howe will want to win, while there’s a real opportunity to make a statement against top four rivals Chelsea too, in the game directly before the World Cup. That is a game that really could go either way, and if you’re a gambling man, it’d be like putting a chip on black or red on Casino777 roulette, or should we say black or blue. At this point, Howe will also be deciding whether to gamble on the players he already has, or whether he’d like to enter the market come the turn of the year too.
The next three games will prove vital for players looking to cement their place for the rest of the season, with only five more games until the January Transfer Window opens. The World Cup will no doubt provide the perfect shop window for the manager as the club looks to strengthen the playing squad at every opportunity.
What Newcastle fans will be hoping is that come the beginning of the World Cup, the number of losses will stay the same and the club have picked up at least four points to most likely remain within the top four spots.
Howe will certainly see that as part one of the season successfully navigated, while a place in the EFL Cup Fourth Round would also take the club that step closer to major honours too. Which let’s face it, we all want to see.