Newcastle United have made a very poor start to the 2021/22 season.
Unfortunately, the club started the campaign with Steve Bruce still at the helm, despite some hoping he might walk away given his lack of popularity around the place.
That did not happen, but Bruce did finally leave the club in October following the long-awaited takeover by the Saudi-led consortium.
Since then, Eddie Howe has come in and has had a mixed bag to start with.
He has come across very well on the training pitch and before the media.
But it’s about getting points now, and the job facing Howe is undoubtedly huge.
There is no question Newcastle’s squad is lacking quality.
Yes, there are some fantastic (mainly attacking) players, but there are too many individuals that just aren’t at the required standard. Especially in defence.
There is hope for Newcastle, but it is absolutely essential that the club gets its recruitment right next month.
A strong window will have huge bearing on where the Magpies will finish.
Predicting where Newcastle will finish in 2021/22
It has not been a good start at all. Newcastle had a decent fixture list to open the campaign with, with Manchester United the only ‘Big Six’ side to face in the first eight games.
At the moment, the Magpies are in the midst of a tough schedule (having just played Liverpool and Manchester City) and realistically, won’t be picking up many points from now until the end of the year.
At the time of writing, the club still have to face Manchester United again and Everton.
It is absolutely paramount that Newcastle find form at the start of 2022.
Howe’s side do not face a ‘Big Six’ side until March, with the team then going to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.
April is a very tough month, with games against Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves, Leicester City, Watford, Liverpool all lying in wait.
And to finish, Newcastle have Manchester City, Arsenal and Burnley.
So in all honesty, staying in the division is going to be very difficult.
It really does depend on who comes in next month.
If Newcastle can get Jesse Lingard and James Tarkowski, and some other proven performers at Premier League level, then the club will significantly increase their survival hopes.
These players have simply got to hit the ground running. There is simply no time to lose.
Newcastle already have a few attacking quality players already like Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, Miguel Almiron, Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Willock. and Joelinton has actually been much better this season.
Eddie Howe is a talented coach, and additions for him in the right areas could well mean the difference between survival and relegation.
PREDICTED FINISHING POSITION FOR NEWCASTLE: 17th
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