da betsul： Amid the Leicester excitement, Newcastle’s potential great escape has been overlooked.
da poker： The Magpies were truly in the mire just four games ago, but Rafa Benitez has worked his magic to turn it all around. Sunderland still have it all in their hands – they know that if they win their remaining three they will stay up – however, three wins in a row for this Black Cats side is rather unlikely… and Newcastle face the comically bad Aston Villa next.
Benitez taking the Newcastle job was odd at the time, but now, having shown that he can get this highly talented squad to play, it is starting to make more and more sense. The Magpies have really struggled to live up to their expectations for the majority of this season, yet Benitez has rejuvenated the players and given the Geordie faithful some belief. It could yet be their year – it could be the black and white of Newcastle that are the next Premier League surprise package. The talent is there, the manager is there and they definitely have the home atmosphere to make St James’ Park a fortress. What is there to say that Newcastle can’t replicate the success of West Ham this season?
In Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Sissoko, Chancel Mbemba and Ayoze Perez, Newcastle have a spine of players who should be competing in the top half of the Premier League. Wijnaldum, for instance, moved to Newcastle last summer and it was a surprise to many that the star of PSV Eindhoven’s title winning side in 2014/15 was not moving to a team in a stronger position. The Dutchman has been patchy in his form throughout this campaign, but a couple of outstanding performances have shown the Tynesiders just how good he could become. Wijnaldum’s up and down season is symbolic of Newcastle in this campaign and equally representative of what they could be next season.
I’ll spare you the tedious – and meaningless – comparisons with ‘doing a Leicester’, as that is a freak that will seldom, if ever, be repeated. Newcastle need to be realistic in what they can achieve and, if they stay up, there is no reason they can’t make it into a battle in the top eight. The squad is there to really challenge the biggest sides, and St James’ Park should quickly return to the fortress it was when they were at their best. Aleksandar Mitrovic will quickly become the most popular man in the city with a few goals whilst Mbemba and Jamaal Lascelles have proven themselves as a trustworthy Premier League partnership.
Investment is unlikely to be flowing in the summer with Mike Ashley still at the helm, but Benitez can work around that. The Spaniard does not need to go signing Toni Kroos, as shrewd additions will comfortably be enough. West Ham’s squad is not light years ahead of Newcastle, nor is Southampton’s, there is simply no reason that the Magpies shouldn’t be competing in the top half of the table. All of the renowned ‘big sides’ will be fighting harder than ever next year, but Benitez can surely build a Newcastle team that has the mettle to match the talent, and only a couple of signings are needed to make a team that is good enough for a top six finish.
Assuming they manage to avoid the drop, Newcastle fans can reasonably expect their team to secure a top half finish next season. Their fan base, a world class manager and a squad rich in talent has all the makings of a team to shock a few people next season. St James’ Park can become one of the trickiest away trips once more and Benitez can become a Kevin Keegan-esque Geordie icon.
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