Newcastle United lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the quarterfinal of FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday. While the Cityzens will be the favourite to win a match against almost any team in the world, the Magpies’ inability to put up a fight was a bit disappointing. The home side sealed the fate of the match by scoring twice in the first half itself.
Newcastle United will find it tough to qualify for Europe next season
Newcastle played in the UEFA Champions League this season, getting eliminated in the group stage. However, they will find it considerably tough to even qualify for the Europa League next season. Eddie Howe’s team are 10th in the Premier League table with 40 points from 28 matches. Only five points separate the teams ranked seventh and 12th in the league table, respectively. Manchester United, who are in the sixth position, have only seven points more than the Magpies. Hence, Newcastle’s chances of securing a top-six finish cannot be ruled out altogether. However, for that to happen, they will have to improve their performance from now onward. It remains to be seen whether Howe can motivate his team to do that.Newcastle’s short-passing game often does not suit their approach
Against Manchester City, Newcastle started with a 3-5-2 formations with Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon upfront. With such a formation, one would expect them to play counter-attacking football with long passes played to their forwards. However, they continued playing short passes predominantly, which was a bit surprising given their shape.With quality attacking players like Isak, Gordon and Miguel Almirón in their team, the Magpies should be able to score more goals. Their wing-backs should be utilized in a better way and they should play more direct at times to give their forwards the chance to exert themselves.
Howe’s men have not quite been able to do it as yet, but should be prepared to change their approach for the remainder of the season.
The Magpies have a few relatively easy matches upcoming
Newcastle will take on West Ham United, Everton and Fulham in their next three Premier League matches before they take on the formidable Tottenham Hotspur on 13 April. Hence, the Magpies should look to get as many points in those three matches before they face the challenge of the Spurs.
The Magpies have enough quality in their squad to put it past West Ham, Everton or Fulham. In fact, Manchester United is the only other team they are scheduled to play, who is more fancied than the Tyneside club.
Newcastle will have their destiny in their own hands when they face the Red Devils on 20 April. Should they be able to beat Erik ten Hag’s men, they might well be able to finish inside the top six.
However, the Magpies should not look that far ahead at the moment. Instead, they should focus on winning their next three matches or at least get seven points from them. The fate of their season will depend a lot on that. As per some latest reports, Howe might get a sack before the season finishes, with José Mourinho touted to take over at St. James’ Park.
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