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Newcastle are a before and after story. The biggest part of the before and after is the new sportswashing Saudi Arabian ownership. Along with that, however, comes the before and after of the manager they hired, Eddie Howe. Their great escape from relegation is like little the Premier League has ever seen and that’s without spending significant cash in January due to Financial Fair Play concerns. Before Howe’s relegation with Bournemouth in 2020, it seemed possible he could have the inside track for the next job that opened in the top six but ended up taking over a year away from coaching before Newcastle came knocking.
It was a risky move for Howe and the Magpies as they seemed set for relegation at the time, but he took them up on their offer. Newcastle was mired in the relegation zone with Norwich City and Burnley, both of whom would later be victims of the drop at the end of the season. Newcastle seemed beyond saving when Howe was appointed in November. Joint bottom of the league on only five points, they were winless in their first 11 games scoring only 12 goals while conceding the second most in the league with 24.
Howe’s first match managed was a 2-0 loss to Arsenal, but the improvement could be seen immediately as the Gunners only put six shots on target compared to Newcastle’s five in the match. From there, Newcastle would go on quite the tear picking up 44 under Howe to finish 11th in the Premier League. Howe’s transition to a 4-3-3 and converting Joelinton to a hard-working midfielder helped solidify the defense and their place in the Premier League. It’s no wonder that on the eve of the new season, Newcastle announced that they were giving their manager a fat new extension.
Transfers make the world go round
Making only modest additions, Newcastle were on pace with the top four to end the season which is why they’re one of the trendy picks to crash the European party this year….
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Source : cbssports
