Newcastle have exceeded expectations under Eddie Howe. The park will host a Champions League game for the first time in 20 years, following Newcastle's goalless draw against Leicester City to secure a top-four finish.
Eddie Howe's team has been one of the successful examples of the campaign, rising from 11th place last season and challenging the established Premier League elite.
< p>Newcastle have a team that will make their city's dream come true again, and it's the key decisions on and off the pitch that set them on the path.
Winning Milan and capturing Sven Botman
Newcastle hailed Botman as one of the best center back prospects in Europe when Mike Ashley was still firmly on the money. They failed to convince Lille to sell the 23-year-old in January 2022 and were worried that Milan would draw attention to them. But the charm offensive was launched, and Botman was impressed by Newcastle's publicity.
Despite the Italians accepting their £35m bet, the player decided he wanted to play Tyneside. This showed everyone that Newcastle could compete with the biggest players in Europe to sign the best players.
Signing Alexander Isak
When Newcastle first made an offer for Isak, as reported by Telegraph Sport in July, Real Sociedad quoted an asking price of over £80 million. It was too much, and a collective decision was made to consider other options.
It was a blow as everyone at the club agreed that he would be the perfect signing. It was also a reminder of Newcastle's limited purchasing power despite all the talk about being the richest club in the world.
The situation changed after a 3-3 draw against Manchester City on 21 August. Chairman Yasser Al Rumayan was in town for the game, which was not only a sign of how much progress Newcastle had made under Howe, but also of fragility. Callum Wilson. The England international withdrew from the tournament with a hamstring injury, leaving Newcastle United with Chris Wood as the team's only other centre-forward.
Stop what you're doing. and check out this Alexander Isak dribbling 🤤 pic.twitter.com/Kdq8E09fzo
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 27, 2023
A hastily organized recruiting rally was called, in which Al-Rumayan participated. Howe delivered his pitch, joined by director of football Dan Ashworth, explaining why they needed Isak. Ashworth was given the green light to travel to San Sebastian and make the deal, which he eventually did at a cost of £54m with an additional £10m.
Despite an injury-riddled start, Isak has been superb, scoring 10 goals in 20 games, and is heavily compared to his idol Thierry Henry.
New tactical system
He was named The Swarm, but Newcastle completely changed the way they wanted to play during a particularly grueling and tense pre-season. Howe's team is relentless, pressing high on the pitch and looking to crush opponents with speed and numbers. The idea is to «crowd» over opposing teams, hunting the ball in packs, purposefully tackling the ball and attacking from different angles and passing patterns. The team is in constant motion. It's like trying to hold back a swarm of black and white wasps and it grinds teams.
Newcastle vs. the world
At this point, we need to pause. Many believe that the decision to buy Newcastle United by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) was driven by a desire to tarnish the country's image, boost its international profile and clear its status on the world stage. This is the so-called «soft power» takeover, using the global reach of the Premier League.
The more successful Newcastle, the more favorable it reflects on the country, which Amnesty International still denounces for human rights violations. However, this is not something that worries Newcastle fans day in and day out. Although the Saudis control the club with their 80% share, they remain mostly in the background. Al Rumayan has occasional «on-the-go meetings» with department heads, but Newcastle is only part of his investment portfolio that he has to manage. British members of the consortium stand in front of the house.
Criticism of Newcastle's ownership model has given rise to the view that Newcastle are disliked and unpopular. It helped turn them against us, and the Geordies know how to fight for their corner. The new Newcastle United are prickly, confrontational and confident. They want to compete, and if that upsets people, no problem.
This was partly due to the constant attacks on who owns them and why. But truth be told, it's always been part of Geordie's mentality. The rest of the country has always tended to taunt Newcastle, its people and football team, but they have always been incredibly proud of the city and where they come from.
2305 Newcastle's league position over the last ten years January transfer window pull
Newcastle have spent a lot of money, but not an extravagant amount, in three PIF transfer windows. The wage bill remains well below that of the permanent members of the Big Six and also lower than Everton, Aston Villa and Leicester last year.
Despite all the talk about «buying their success», it's worth it. stressing that the £250m spent on new players is paltry for a handful of clubs over the same period of time they have been in charge.
But Newcastle found themselves in a quandary in January. Howe and Ashworth argued that the team needed more depth and that injuries could derail their campaign. Darren Eales, chief executive, warned that financial fair play rules are making it extremely difficult to spend this month.
There was some tension and when Chris Wood (£12m) and Jonjo Shelvey (nominal) were both allowed to leave for Nottingham Forest to cut their payroll, Howe was not too pleased. Far from getting stronger, his team looked weaker at the end of the window despite the arrival of Anthony Gordon from Everton in the same month for £45m.
Anthony Gordon was the only big player at Newcastle this January. Photo: Getty Images/Ian MacNicol
Howe didn't want any of the players to leave. He also dismissed any suggestion that a player like Allan Saint-Maximin could be sold to raise funds for reinvestment. He authorized the sale of Wood and Shelvey only because the players asked to leave.
This is the game that worked. Newcastle will have much more room to maneuver this summer window due to the budget and wage caps introduced in January and will be extremely ambitious in meeting their goals over the next three months as a result.
The scenes in London during the preparation for the final against Manchester United were special: tens of thousands of fans went to the capital and «occupied» Trafalgar Square. But the game itself brought the familiar feeling of disillusionment and disappointment in a direct 2-0 defeat.
Privately, Howe and his coaching staff were a little annoyed by the demand for tickets and the constant talk of Wembley during the lead-up to the match, feeling that the players were too distracted. This served to highlight that «Newcastle were not a club accustomed to success», as one senior source told Telegraph Sport, with defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City on either side of that final making it their worst ever finish. season.
Newcastle fans in Trafalgar Square ahead of the Carabao League Cup final in February. Photo: PA/Stefan Rousseau.
Since then, Howe has been thinking about it. Newcastle will have more games and even more entertainment next season in the Champions League. Domestic cup competitions will continue to be vital. Team rotation will be critical to preventing burnout.
The team in its current form is not big enough or good enough to fight on four fronts, which will likely result in most of the money being spent under new owners in one window as summer approaches.
Power City
This is not just a football club that woke up after the takeover in October 2021, the whole city was stirred up and is now again confidently striding forward. Every game at St. James' Park seems like an event. Bars and clubs downtown are also crowded with those who want to join but can't get tickets. The expansion of St. James Park will not happen anytime soon.
Newcastle United is the most obvious and powerful expression of civic pride at Tyneside and that energy that was transferred to St James' Park on matchday. The atmosphere created by Wor Flags is intimidating and hostile, and it is no coincidence that only Liverpool and Arsenal have won Cathedral on the Hill since January 2022.
Newcastle became St James. Park in front of one of the toughest road trips in the league. Credit: PA/Owen Humphreys Staying calm under pressure
Newcastle are an emotional football club, but Howe handled it well. The ability to block out noise both inside and outside the football club allows the team and staff to focus on what needs to be done and always try to win the next game.
It is. It's easy to get sidetracked as a Newcastle manager, either by believing the hype or getting bogged down in perceived snubs and criticism from fans that former goalkeeper-turned-Academy director Steve Harper has called «bipolar». Howe avoided this, and the credit should also go to the owners.
The appointment of Dan Ashworth as director of football was perhaps their most important decision, apart from the appointment of Howe as manager. Eales was just as impressive as the chief executive.
The owners pretty much backed down and let them run the football club. They are a well-managed club and that is why, in just 18 months, Newcastle have turned a relegation battle into the top four.
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