The defeat to Everton on Thursday night sparked a lot of disappointment from Newcastle United fans.
It was our second loss in a row, and leaves the Magpies 14th in the Premier League. The performance was really poor, but it should not cloud what has been a a fantastic run of form.
Newcastle have lost just two of their last 11 Premier League games, which is quite astonishing considering where we were at the start of the season.
There’s been a lot of discontent among Toon fans following the Everton defeat, but here are five reasons why the Toon Army should be positive right now.
Eddie Howe has drastically improved underperforming players
It wasn’t evident on Thursday, but Eddie Howe has worked wonders with some of the original Newcastle United squad.
So many players have improved drastically since the change of manager. The likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Fabian Schar have returned to their best, while Ryan Fraser is finally proving why he looked like such a good signing in 2020.
However, the biggest success story is Joelinton. The Brazilian is now a key player at St James’ Park – a box-to-box midfielder who is adored by fans.
Howe’s work to improve these players proves the new Newcastle isn’t going to just be about blockbuster signings.
There’s a lot more to come from Bruno Guimaraes
Everyone is talking about Bruno, and rightly so. The January arrival capped off his first start with a stunning winner against Southampton. That backheel volley could go down in Toon history.
The £42million man has started the last three games now, and is getting better and better. His desire to get on the ball is brilliant to see, combined with his need to start attacks from deep.
Off the ball he’s been impressive too, snapping into tackles and protecting the defence.
Guimaraes looked like a sensational signing at the time, and that’s already proving to be the case. And the most exciting thing is that he can only get better.
He’s yet to play in a settled Newcastle midfield, which will hopefully happen after the international break.
Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson are still to come back
Newcastle haven’t had Callum Wilson since December 27th. Kieran Trippier hasn’t featured since the 1-0 win over Aston Villa on February 13th.
Even without two of their key players, the Magpies have still been able to be a success. Allan Saint-Maximin has missed key games too.
The Frenchman is back, while we await the returns of Wilson and Trippier. Newcastle have done brilliantly in 2022, and Howe still hasn’t been able to put out his best starting XI. When everyone is fit, we could be even better.
Premier League safety is looking very likely
Following the 1-1 draw with Watford in January, it was hard to see how we’d achieve Premier League survival. What followed was three wins on the bounce.
An unbeaten run of nine games has moved Newcastle away from danger. Even after back-to-back defeats, we still have a nine point gap between ourselves and the relegation zone.
Unless our form falls off a cliff, Premier League safety is looking very likely. That’s a real achievement given our rotten first half of the season.
Newcastle could do something really special in the summer transfer window
When Premier League safety is achieved, attentions will turn to the summer. And that’s when things could get really exciting.
We got a taste of the new Newcastle in January. The owners spent big on five players, and were able to attract a couple of huge names.
Newcastle’s appeal will only grow in the summer if we preserve our Premier League status. And with the new owners boasting lofty ambitions, they will be investing a lot of money to give Howe a squad capable of climbing the table.
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