Newcastle United hopes to defy the trend. We’re about to learn. The drop off is typically ‘very considerable’ the season after qualifying for Europe for the first time in a number of years, according to research done by the Magpies on those clubs.
Given the obvious excitement surrounding Newcastle’s return to the Champions League for the first time in more than 20 years, the upcoming week feels so exciting, a litmus test if you will. Can Eddie Howe’s team concentrate on what has to be done before switching to a different assignment right away and recovering from the mental and physical strain of difficult games in elite competitions? They must, simply.
Prior to traveling to Italy to play AC Milan in the San Siro on Tuesday and meeting Sheffield United at Bramall Lane five days later in the Premier League, Newcastle will host unbeaten Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday. As Newcastle looks to get their season back on track after losing three straight Premier League games for the first time since 2022, this is the first of multiple three-game blocks that will test the depth of this group in the coming months.
Howe informed reporters that there will be a lot of noise. “For me and the squad, it’s about not lingering on any outcome for too long. Even just the preparation for those games, the reactions to results, and then we have a game very shortly after.
That is crucial when you have a lot of games coming up quickly. That doesn’t necessarily imply a bad outcome; it may also suggest a good outcome, but it still conveys the same emotion. We must proceed immediately.
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“We must concentrate on the upcoming difficulty and make an effort to get accustomed to that rhythm, which will be unfamiliar to us. Because of this, this season is a true test for us.
When there was last similar commotion, in the run-up to Newcastle’s first cup final in 24 years, the Magpies’ Premier League performance suffered the following year. Given that Newcastle will have “a Carabao Cup final equivalent every few weeks in the Champions League that could distract them,” analyst Gary Neville predicts that the black-and-whites will eventually fall out of the top six. Instead, Newcastle must make sure that Howe’s team uses this stretch of games to recover their rhythm and jumpstart their season.
The fact that Newcastle had to play teams who finished first, fifth, sixth, and seventh in the Premier League last year, and that they only had three more points at this point a year ago, must be emphasized. But things are about to heat up even more in this campaign.
Before the next international break, Newcastle will play seven games in three separate tournaments, which works out to be almost a game every three days. Six more games are scheduled for the three weeks leading up to the November international break, and that’s before you consider a potential Carabao Cup matchup should Newcastle defeat defending champion Man City later this month to advance to the fourth round.
The fact that Newcastle had to play teams who finished first, fifth, sixth, and seventh in the Premier League last year, and that they only had three more points at this point a year ago, must be emphasized. But things are about to heat up even more in this campaign.
Before the next international break, Newcastle will play seven games in three separate tournaments, which works out to be almost a game every three days. Six more games are scheduled for the three weeks leading up to the November international break, and that’s before you consider a potential Carabao Cup matchup should Newcastle defeat defending champion Man City later this month to advance to the fourth round.
After the last of the year’s international matches are finished, Newcastle will play 10 Premier League and Champions League matches before the new year. In the first half of the season, that translates to at least 27 club matches in just 140 days, including senior international appearances for Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Alexander Isak, and Callum Wilson.
Howe, who has never been one for rotation, will simply have to dig into his roster at some time. In fact, the last time Howe made significant adjustments, a League One Sheffield Wednesday team eliminated Newcastle from the FA Cup.
Howe has only changed his starting lineup once thus far this season, and even then, it was necessary due to an ankle injury to Sven Botman. This pattern is similar to how Howe’s starting XI changed just 54 times over the course of 38 games last season, when he used 11 identical lineups in the top tier.
For reference, Pep Guardiola had the luxury of making 106 substitutions in the Premier League last season as the Man City manager kept his team fresh on their route to winning the treble thanks to a far deeper roster. It makes sense why Howe desired “two XIs” of “equal strength.”