Football is a fickle beast. We’ve all experienced the heartache that many other teams are facing today, in which things continue to get worse after each game. A heroic manager or player in one season can become vilified the next, and let’s be fair; it’s not always their fault. But once things start to turn a corner, especially as NUFC has demonstrated, even the most stone-cold faces in the stands begin to crack a smile. So just how did we end up in the position we’re in, and what do Howe and the rest of the team need to do to continue our success?
The Season So Far
As of writing this, Newcastle has lost just one game in the whole season. We’ve seen some impressive play from a number of players in the squad. With Nick Pope’s immaculate interceptions and the phenomenal skills of players like Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin, it’s no wonder we’re sitting comfortably in fourth place today. We’ve had some great games starting the season off with a satisfying two-nil win against Forest, a couple of high scoring wins against Brentford and Fulham, and we’ve even beat back teams like Spurs and Everton. Our only loss was against Liverpool, which came from Carvalho’s unexpected 98th-minute winner. But other than this, we’ve managed to hold our own against the other big six clubs very well, including a draw against Man City and Man Utd.
What Could Go Wrong?
We’re under no illusions that this success could change, especially after the general discomfort teams will feel after a winter break entwined with the World Cup. The January transfer window always brings about a level of uncertainty, too, with new players joining the ranks of struggling teams, potentially catapulting them up the table, and other players leaving for greener pastures, weakening stronger teams or solidifying relegation for those at the bottom. As we stated earlier, this game is one that is ever-changing, and that’s what makes it so fascinating and thrilling to watch. This is why it’s important that we don’t become complacent following this current success and that we should focus on ways to improve the squad and push for even greater success.
Where Can The Squad Be Improved?
No area of a squad is going to be perfect. At least, that is the mentality that a manager and head coach should have. Once we stop trying to improve something, that is when players begin to get lazy, and tactics start being countered by the opposition. While it’s possible to adapt once these things become a problem, it opens up a window in which other teams are able to take advantage of these weaknesses for a significant amount of time before they are eventually rectified, and that could see us experiencing a flurry of losses, dragging us down the table. We’ll now discuss each area of the squad and consider what can be done to improve them, especially with the January transfer window approaching.
Attackers
It’s fair to say that one of our biggest strengths is our attack. Fast, physical, and calculated play from our front line makes for some really fun and entertaining football. If you’re the type of fan who enjoys a flutter on a game every now and again, and you’re someone that doesn’t fall for the superstition of betting on your own team, it’s always worthwhile placing a bet on some of our top goal scorers. There are plenty of internet betting cash deposits where you can get bonuses out there, allowing you to enhance your safer bets for a better payout. Adding Wilson to score anytime to your bet slip is a worthwhile choice after his continuously great performance. When it comes to improving the team, however, we could always do with improving the depth of our attackers and adding a few more strikers that can match Wilson’s skill. After all, if he starts to experience similar issues with his fitness as he has done in previous seasons, we may end up struggling to break through our opponent’s defence in future matches.
Midfielders
When it comes to attacking, our midfielders play just as important a role as our forward players, and we essentially have a strong front five players with our current formation, putting pressure on the opposition wherever possible. However, while our midfield has a significant amount of skill, it’s safe to say that we could be seeing much more from these players. After Joelinton was moved to an attacking midfield position after his disastrous start as a striker, we’re definitely starting to see where his potential lies. However, after Allan Saint-Maximin and Joe Willock’s injuries, it’s become evident that we need some stronger backup players to help keep our attacking position as strong as possible. Who knows? With rumours of players like Maddison being in our sights, we could even see some exceptional new regular starters coming in.
Defenders
When it comes to our defence, this is where we really start to struggle. While there isn’t necessarily a lack of talent from our defenders, we are still seeing far too many conceded goals than we’d like. After all, there’s only so much a keeper can do to prevent a goal, and that’s where the defenders come in. We can always do with strengthening our defence wherever possible, but on the flip side of this criticism, it’s worth noting that we’ve still conceded the least amount of goals in the prem this season. While it might seem as though we’re being unfair, we want to shine a light on what we said about complacency again. Letting these sorts of stats lull us into a false sense of security could be our undoing, so it’s important to continue to shore up our defences wherever we can. This could be done with the help of players such as Luke Shaw being brought in from Man Utd. The left-back has been dubbed “the next Kieran Trippier” after fighting back for his place in the team’s starting XI.
