Premier League top four at Christmas? | OneFootball

At Christmas 2022, Newcastle United found themselves in the Premier League top four.

Eddie Howe’s side actually third in the table at that point, as we reached Xmas day two seasons ago.

So can Newcastle United repeat that Premier League top four spot when we get to this Christmas?

Newcastle will resume their season in nine days time, when a struggling West Ham side plays at St James’ Park on Monday 25 November.

That is the first of six more Premier League matches (plus the big cup quarter-final against Brentford) before we get to Christmas 2024.

I think we will be up there after these next half dozen games and my prediction is Newcastle United sitting in fourth when Christmas Day 2024 comes around (as well as having a Carabao Cup semi-final to look forward to).

This is how the Premier League table currently looks, ahead of that next Premier League game against the Hammers:

Next six games, see United face West Ham (home), Palace (away), Liverpool (home) Brentford (away), Leicester (home) and Ipswich (away).

My forecast is that Eddie Howe’s team will get 14 points from a possible 18, which would put us on 32 points by Christmas, after 17 Premier League matches.

NUFC finish the year off with games against Aston Villa at home and Old Trafford to face Man I. I reckon four points more on top of the 32 points (by Christmas), so I’d say 36 points after 19 games. Would you be happy enough with that? I’d certainly be.

Two years ago, Eddie Howe’s side had 38 points after 19 games, eventually finishing Premier League top four with 71 points in total, having picked up 33 points in the second half of the season. United actually hit a bad patch straight after the halfway point in that season, picking up only three points from a possible 15, in the 20th to 24th PL matches that 2022/23 season.

I think going back to basics with the quartet of Joelinton, Willock, Longstaff and Bruno has made the biggest difference to the team and the recent swing in results.

It may result in Gordon playing out of position, Tonali and Barnes finding themselves on the bench, but I couldn’t care less. It is simply all about getting the results.

There are plenty of things we could try out with different combinations in players, but given that Longstaff, Bruno, Willock and Joelinton have never lost a game they have all started, after 18 matches (15 wins, 3 draws) then it is simple, if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it!

The future looks promising.

The current eleven in these past two matches is the best Newcastle United team, with the exception of the injured Sven Botman. Not necessarily the best individuals but it is our best team at this moment in time.

Two seasons ago it worked like a charm. Last season, that midfield quartet simply never started together and it did negatively affect results.

The great thing as well is that Newcastle United have now got better players on the bench.

Two seasons ago, when NUFC lost Bruno we had nobody whatsoever to replace him when he got suspended and injured. Now, Step forward Sandro Tonali.

Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon will do a job on both flanks, Harvey Barnes for me is an upgrade on the popular Allan Saint-Maximin, plus we still have Murphy and Almiron in the background waiting for their opportunity.

Lewis Miley is another potentially very good player in the making. I think he could well take Bruno’s place in maybe three years or so, as I think that’s where he will play.