Season 3 - Trophies? Season Review

It's that time of the season where we wrap it all up and find out what we landed with whilst looking around the world as to what has happened and ahead to next season. We have quite a few games to get through in the last 2 months of the season this time, whilst we will also look at the two domestic cups, the three European cups and the top 5 European Leagues. We will also check in on some of the teams we noted to keep an eye on and pick out our teams for next year to track. I've also gone through the squad and had an initial plan for the window for how we want to set up next year so will go through some of those plans as well as a brief review of how the players did this year. So with quite a lot to go through, let's get straight into the games.

The Matches

Newcastle 4 - 1 Nottingham Forest

We started off the final 8 games in a strong fashion with a big win against Forest. It wasn't always comfortable but we took control in the second half and started taking chances which made it a much simpler game. We got started early when Hall played it into Miley who sent Gordon through on goal, but he laid it back to Miley who was able to find the far corner in the second minute to give us the lead. As the half continued, Guehi had to make two brilliant blocks to keep the lead and we went in at half time with a narrow lead. Hall whipped in a free kick which they tried to head clear, but Miley was on the edge of the box and able to head it back into the box where Gordon volleyed it first time to double our lead. Shortly after we won the ball back on the edge of the box and Kuol curled it through for Gordon who found the corner to make it 3-0. Livramento then came down the left wing and played it inside to Gordon who was in the box, and he was able to beat the keeper to complete his second half hat trick. They got one back right at the end when a cross was met at the back post but it was too late to matter.

Panathinaikos 0 - 3 Newcastle (Europa Conference League - Quarter Final Leg 1)

We continued our dominance in the Europa Conference League on a visit to Greece next, where we had no challenge at all despite expecting it to be a tighter match compared to some of the teams we had played in this competition so far. We got started when Kuol tried to send in a cross but it took a deflection that took it to the edge of the box, where Barnes was able to angle his body and fire the volley into the top corner to score a spectacular goal. The rest of the half was all us but we were unable to double our lead. Instead we had to wait until the 70th minute for that to happen, when Bueno whipped in the corner and Sesko won the header at the near post. Shortly after we added a third when they cleared a corner back to Bueno who had taken it, who then came to the edge of the box and curled it into the far top corner to add another special goal to the night. A very simple first leg and can pretty much say we're in the semi final providing there's no shock second leg performance at home.

Brighton 1 - 4 Newcastle

This ended up being a big win for us as Man City had lost to Arsenal which meant winning put us on level points with them but they had the goal difference advantage. With that in mind the big win was a help as well as just getting the win. We took the lead when Wirtz dinked it to the back post and Gordon was free to header it in from a tight angle. Not long after that Pino was coming down the right wing and played it back to Frimpong, who just as he was about to shoot got tackled and the loose ball fell to Wirtz in the box who able to power it past our former keeper Pope. They nearly had one back when a ridiculous cross from near the half way line took out our entire team and sent Ferguson through to score but he was offside before it was played and we got away with one. Pino and Frimpong then linked up again on the right and as Frimpong went to cross it to the back post it took a deflection and went in for an own goal to make it 3-0. Ferguson did get his goal then when he was played into the box and able to find the bottom corner. We added our final goal when Wirtz had space on the right again and was able to cross it where Sesko got above the defenders and headed it into the bottom corner to seal the win.

Newcastle 3 - 0 Panathinaikos (Europa Conference League - Quarter Final Leg 2)

Despite having a comfortable 3-0 lead already, the team took it seriously and put in another performance to ensure we went through with no problems. Over the two ties they managed two shots a game without a single one on target just to show how much better we were. We took the lead when Bueno sends Kuol running down the right wing where he cut it back for Sesko to tap in. Not too long after, it was roles reversed as Sesko played it through for Kuol to run on to and he applied the low finish to double our lead. We then added the third as Barnes took a corner from deep and Klemens was able to win his header, but instead of going for goal he headed it back down for Lewis-Skelly who was able to have an easy chance from close range. The second half remained us but we weren't able to add any more goals to the mix and we set up a semi final tie with Trabzonspor from Turkey.

Newcastle 2 - 1 Brentford (FA Cup Semi Final)

Up next was Brentford as the final hurdle on our way to the second final of the season and it was a close game in the end to decide it. We edged it just about due to the better chances falling our way but the overall play was pretty balanced. We took the lead when Miley won the ball back on the edge of the box and sent Barnes running into the box who's effort was able to beat the keeper. However they equalised when a free kick routine found Janelt with space to get a free header from close range. We thought we had restored our lead straight away as from kick off we ended up with Pino playing it through for Sesko who beat the keeper, only for the offside flag to deny us. Just as half time was coming up Sildillia made an excellent block on the edge of our box before running to the half way line with it himself, he then played it over to Miley who seen the chance and shot from 30 yards out to find the top corner and restore our lead. In the second half we had a chance when Bueno was brought down in the box, and Isak stepped up full of confidence only for the keeper to save it. Then in the 92nd minute Mbuemo got through on goal and just as he was about to shoot Sildillia made an excellent tackle to stop it and win us the game, setting up a final with Chelsea.

Newcastle 3 - 0 Leicester City

Back to the Premier League and we were against a relegation threatened Leicester so could have been a tricky tie, but we showed our class and made light work of it to keep the pressure on Man City. We took the lead when a low ball into the box caused mayhem between their defenders and whilst they struggled to clear it, Isak stepped in and fired the ball past the keeper. Gordon then came forward and tried to play it into Wirtz on the edge of the box who was fouled, but the ball rolled through to Pino and he was able to find the bottom corner to double our lead at half time. Wirtz then dropped a free kick into the area where Isak was able to meet it with his head to get our third to seal the win before the substitutions broke up the game a bit. This meant we were now 5 goals behind Man City with 5 goals remaining.

Chelsea 1 - 3 Newcastle

A tough away game next that had double positives for us after winning. The first being we kept the pressure on Man City who had unfortunately won by 2 goals themselves so the goal difference remained the same, the second being it was a dress rehearsal for the FA Cup final. We did all our work in the first half again and then settled in the second half to see it out. Gordon and Hall linked up down the left wing and Hall knocked it into Bruno who ran into the box and beat the keeper for the lead. The second came shortly after when the same link up happened, and as Gordon played it to Bruno he was brought down and a penalty given. Isak stepped up and made no mistake this time, sending the keeper the wrong way and doubling our lead. Towards the end of the half Pino got the ball out wide and was able to beat his man before firing it across where Isak was in position to tap it in for a third. They got their goal back in the second half on the counter attack which sent Sterling through one on one with Vicario and he was able to beat him to finish the scoring of the day. We did nearly have a fourth when Isak had a chance cleared off the line but it wasn't to be.

Newcastle 6 - 0 Trabzonspor (Europa Conference League - Semi Final Leg 1)

The Europa Conference League is really struggling to provide us a tough match and we essentially booked our place in the final in the first leg. This was complete domination from minute one and once the goals went in we never looked back and couldn't stop scoring. We thought we had it when Miley sent through Kuol who was able to cut it back to Sesko for a tap in but offside was given and it remained 0-0. Bueno whipped in his corner and Sesko was hauled to the floor as he went to meet it and we were given a penalty, Sesko stepped up and hits the top corner for the lead. Bueno released Kuol again but this time instead of looking for the pass, he took it on himself to shoot and he found the corner to double the lead. Just as half time was approaching we got our third as another Bueno corner was cleared as far as Barnes, who collected the ball on the edge of the box then fired it into the top corner. The second half didn't go much differently, and we soon were back on scoring terms when Bueno and Kuol played a one two on the edge of the box before Bueno found the bottom corner. Diomande then started to come forward and he laid it off for Bruno who took the shot on from distance, and was able to beat the keeper and get our fifth. Then finally Barnes found space on the left and then played it back to Bruno who took a touch just inside the box and then fired it goalwards, it bounced off the underside of the bar and in to finish the tie off.

Newcastle 2 - 1 Arsenal

Probably our hardest game in the run in up next, as we've always had tight games with Arsenal but fortunately for us we were able to edge it again with the goals and keep the pressure on Man City as we come towards the end of the season. We took the lead nice and early when Pino broke away down the right and fired it across where Gordon had all the space in the world and could finish simply to make it 1-0. Wirtz then played a short free kick into Pino who gave it him back before he flicked it over the top for Gordon to score from close range to double our lead. At the start of the second half Vicario was able to make an excellent save from Vieira but the rebound fell to Merino and he was able to give Arsenal a chance to comeback. We thought we had our third when Wirtz flicked it round the corner to Kuol who played it instantly across for Sesko who found the bottom corner, but once again the offside flag rules it out for us. Still a massive win and could be the result we look back on in this run in as the moment we won the league if it happens.

Trabzonspor 0 - 1 Newcastle (Europa Conference League - Semi Final Leg 2)

This game was already done and it certainly played out like both teams knew that, it probably didn't help that we got an early goal to kill any incentive for them to try come back and give us a scare. It was very quiet throughout and essentially both teams were just waiting on the result of the other semi final to see who we were playing in the final. We got the goal when Kuol got the ball out wide on the right and switched the play to Moore on the opposite wing, who was able to come inside and place it under the keeper to give us the lead. After that there wasn't much happening but we got through injury free and now face Ludogorets in the final.

Burnley 0 - 4 Newcastle

With three out of three finals in the bag, the only thing left to concentrate on outside of those matches is keep the pressure on and try steal the league. We had no issues against Burnley who again are a relegated threatened team so could have been a banana skin game in there. We also knew we had to win as Man City had already played before us and already won. We took the lead when Pino sent in a cross from the right wing where Gordon was able to get above his defender and win his header to make it 1-0. Bruno then found Hall out on the left and he seen Gordon in space and crossed it straight to him at the near post, where Gordon flicked it on the volley to double our lead. Then in the second half it was the other winger that took over scoring responsibility as Hall found space on the left again, he sent the cross in which Gordon swiped at to try get his hat trick, but Pino was at the back post to tap it in and make it 3-0. Shortly after Hall took a short free kick to Pino who curled it in to the top corner from outside the box to finish off a lovely game. After this result it meant the gap was just 4 goals now with 2 games left.

Newcastle 3 - 1 Bournemouth

For a change we were playing ahead of Man City this time so we took the incentive and put the marker down. Another win and another 2 goals off the goal difference secured meant we had done our part and were at least taking it to the final game of the season. We took the lead nice and early as Livramento came down the right and his cross found Gordon at the back post who won another header which beat the keeper. The second came quickly after, when Tonali whipped in the corner and Sildillia was the player to win the header at the near post this time. Unfortunately the game quietened right down from this point despite a fast start and we had to wait until the second half for any more action. That action came when Tonali brought them down in the box and they received a penalty, which Evanilson stepped up and sent Vicario the wrong way to give them a chance. In the 92nd minute Harwood-Bellis hit the post from a corner, and as Lewis-Skelly was recovering the ball he was fouled in the box and we got a penalty of our own. Sesko stepped up for us and beat Ramsdale into the bottom corner to give us the win.

Chelsea 4 - 2 Newcastle (FA Cup Final)

Second year in a row we've made it to the FA Cup final, and second year in a row we've lost it. Only this one was more disappointing as we put ourselves in control and capitulated and threw it away. We had our hands on the trophy and it was all going to plan and for some reason the players just stopped. We took the lead early on as Hall got his cross in from the left and Sesko was able to pounce and win the header to make it 1-0. Barnes then went round Felix who brought him down in the box and a penalty was given, but Sesko had his attempt saved by the keeper to keep it at 1-0. Frimpong then made his way down the right and into the box and just as he was about to be tackled it tapped it over to Sesko, who was able to hit a powerful shot from close range and have no problem beating the keeper this time. They then got one back from a corner when Colwill was able to win his header to make it 2-1 at half time. Then the fall apart happened. They got the equaliser as a simple ball put Nkunku through and he was able to beat Caprile. Sterling then sent in a cross where Nkunku was able to beat Frimpong in the air and give them the lead for the first time of the game. We then applied some pressure to try get it back, and we came closest when Wirtz had an effort that bounced between defender and crossbar but didn't go over the line somehow and they got away with it. Then in the 94th minute as we were pushing for the equaliser, Guehi was beaten to the ball on the half way line and their striker went through one on one and was able to apply the finish to win them the cup.

Man U 1 - 4 Newcastle

So any chance of domestic success all comes down to this final game, we are away at Man U whilst Man City are away to Luton Town. It's looking unlikely but we have done all we can do at this point in the season, and we continued our side of the bargain by getting a comfortable win against Man U. Nothing much happened in the first half other than Gordon getting injured and having to come off, a big blow not just for us, but possibly for England as the World Cup is due to start shortly. However the goals started flowing in the second half, and we took the lead as Pino cut the ball back to the edge of the box where Bruno was able to smash it first time into the corner. Not to be outdone, Rashford then added his own screamer to the game to equalise, as he cut in from the left and fired it into the top corner from the corner of the box. Then we took control as Wirtz whipped in his corner and Diomande was there to header it home and regain our lead. Bruno then laid it back to Klemens who took the shot on from distance, and he had the power on it to beat Onana and make it 3-1. The fourth came shortly after when there was a mix up at the back and Barnes was able to steal the ball then find the bottom corner to seal our win. Unfortunately Man City had won 6-0 away from home and they took home the title on goal difference.

Ludogorets 0 - 3 Newcastle (Europa Conference League - Final)

At our last chance of asking we finally get out hands on a trophy this year after 2 finals lost and losing the title on goal difference, it would have been awful had we not won this one as well. Fortunately the competition threw up as much of a challenge as it had all the way through and we ran out very comfortable winners again. We should have had the lead when Barnes was brought down in the box and a penalty was given, but Sesko had his penalty saved again and that was the main chance of the first half. In the second half though is where we came to life, and Wirtz tried to play it in for Sesko who got tackled just as he was about to shoot, but the loose ball came to Barnes and he smashed it past the keeper for 1-0. Isak came on and tried to play Kuol through but his pass was intercepted, so he just won the ball back himself and went through on goal himself before finding the top corner to double the lead. Then for the final goal of the season, Moore made an excellent run down the left and just as he looked like he was about to shoot, he squared the ball for Kuol who was able to tap in and we are Europa Conference League winners.

Club Competitions

Overall we have to be happy with that season even if we didn't quite win the trophies that were up for grabs, as it was a huge step up from last year when we only got European football due to winning the Carabao Cup, so to be up there competing for the title as well as three finals is a massive improvement. Now to see if we can get the balance right to just tip that over the edge slightly more in our favour.

Goals and Assists

We have scored plenty of goals this season including two players on loan also breaking into double digits but I have to say we have an absolute stand out for goal scoring this year in Sesko. The Slovenian scored 43 goals in 49 appearances, of which only 24 of them were starts. That is an insane record for this season and really puts pressure on Isak for being the main striker despite scoring 27 goals in 46 appearances himself. Gordon and Barnes both got into double digits from our left wing this season with Gordon getting 18 and Barnes getting 16 so we weren't relying purely on our strikers. Lorran on loan at Birmingham in the Championship also netted 12 times whilst Moerstedt on loan in France scored 12 as well so two exciting players coming through there.

In terms of assists, our record in one season was Pino with 13 last season, this year we had Gordon match that record but only finish 5th on the assist chart. Next up was Wirtz with 14, then Pino and Hall both adding 15 each before Kuol absolutely smashed the record with 22 assists this season. I will admit maybe playing in the Europa Conference League has made that a little easier as we scored for fun in there, but that's impressive numbers regardless and the consistency shown across the season has been brilliant.

Competitions

Premier League

The Premier League was right up there as one of the closest title battles for a whilst and in the end it's Man City who win it by 7 goals, as both them and us finish on 93 points. Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham also gain Champions League football next season as we had 5 places up for grabs this season. Chelsea and Villa will take up the Europa League whilst Man U will have to defend our Europa Conference League title for us. Disappointing end of the season for Wolves as a team that spent a good three quarters of it in the top 4 fell out of the European places all together. At the other end of the table it was Sheffield United, Luton Town and Crystal Palace who get relegated, meaning Leicester survive the drop and Burnley have no survived two years in a row in the league.

Championship

Replacing the relegated team in the Premier League will be Norwich and Southampton coming back up, whilst Sunderland who beat Middlesbrough in the play off final will show a new face in the league for us. Worryingly for me, Norwich are a team I've only beaten once in 3 attempts so far so could they start to prove a bogey team. At the other end of the table it's Derby County, Millwall and QPR who get relegated to League One.

League One

Moving up to the Championship this year will be Preston North End, Portsmouth and Lincoln City get promoted after beating Oxford United in the play off final, so it'll be to see if any of them can continue to build up and make their way to the Premier League in a few years or if they'll fall back down quickly. Getting relegated to League Two are Cambridge United, Carlisle United, Shrewsbury Town and Mansfield Town.

League Two

Finally in the English leagues, it is Colchester United, Port Vale, Chesterfield and Forest Green Rovers who beat Wycombe Wanderers in the playoff final to move up a division. It doesn't look like the leagues are changing too much at the moment in terms of teams going down multiple times or going up multiple times. The two teams who leave the professional leagues are Gateshead and Crewe Alexandra, who is probably a bit of a surprise. They are being replaced by Yeovil Town and Oldham Athletic.

FA Cup

Starting with the two domestic trophies in England we will move on to the cups. Both finalists joined at the third round of the competition, where Chelsea had knocked out Crewe Alexandra, Fulham, Man City, Arsenal and Brighton before beating us in the final. Whilst we knocked out Wrexham, Watford, Leeds, Man U and Brentford before falling short in the final.

Carabao Cup

Again for the Carabao Cup both of us started in the third round of the competition. Arsenal had beaten Hull City, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Southampton before being triumphant on penalties against us in the final. Meanwhile our run to the final consisted of beating Rotherham United, Liverpool, Man City and Wolves.

Champions League

The Champions League provided an English winner in Man City this year, taking the title of Real Madrid who made it to the final trying to defend it for consecutive seasons. Both teams finished in the top 8 of the league stage, and then Real Madrid had to take on Fenerbahce, PSG and Atalanta before losing to Man City in the final. Man City on the other hand had beaten Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan before being Real Madrid in the final, so they really went on a tour of Italy really.

Europa League

The Europa League has also provided an English winner in Arsenal this year meaning all three European competitions have come to England. Again both finalists finished in the top 8 of the league stage so only started the knock out rounds in the round of 16. Fiorentina went up against Las Palmas, Benfica and Man U before losing to Arsenal in the final, whilst Arsenal knocked out KRC Genk, AS Roma, SC Freiburg and then beat Fiorentina in the final.

Europa Conference League

As we know, we were the winners of the Europa Conference League and once again both us and Ludogorets finished in the top 8 of the league stage. Ludogorets got to the final by beating Malmo, RC Lens and Olympiacos before we proved to much for them, whilst we knocked out P Ferreira, Panathinaikos and Trabzonspor on our way to winning it.

Around The World

La Liga

Unfortunately again La Liga doesn't really give any surprises as the top 3 are once again Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, however Athletic Bilbao were one of our teams to watch and they've finished 4th and qualified for the Champions League so we will see how they get on again. Sevilla and Villarreal qualify for the Europa League and Valencia get the Europa Conference League place. At the other end of the table it's Levante, Burgos and Espanyol who are relegated.

Serie A

Serie A also doesn't really show any surprises as Inter Milan win it for the 4th time in a row but they are joined in the Champions League spaces by AC Milan and two of the teams we wanted to watch to see if they could recover from poor seasons in Napoli and Lazio. Atalanta also gain Champions League through the extra league position, whilst Juventus and Sassuolo get the Europa League places. That leaves the Europa Conference League place to go to AS Roma meaning Fiorentina miss out all together despite getting to the final of the Europa League this season. Relegated this year are Frosinone, Empoli and Como.

Bundesliga

Unfortunately Bayern Munich have fully got their grip back on the Bundesliga now after winning by a mere 32 points from second place RB Leipzig. Even the rest of their places don't really throw up any surprises unfortunately as it is those two and Dortmund and Frankfurt who go into the Champions League, whilst Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg take the Europa League places. Finally it's Mainz that take the Europa Conference League spot whilst St Pauli, FC Koln and Werder Bremen are relegated.

Ligue 1

Seems to be more of the same around all of Europe this year as PSG win their 6th title in a row whilst the rest of the teams in the league seem to have their own mini scrap over European places rather than winning the title. They will be joined in the Champions League by Marseille, Lille and Nice, whilst the Europa League spots go to Monaco and Lyon. Finally it is Reims that gain the Europa Conference League to round off the European places. At the other end of the table it is relegation for Brest, Metz and Saint-Etienne.

Plans for Next Season and Next Time

So next time we will have a special as it is a World Cup year to track so I will do a separate post for that. As for us next season, I think we need to aim for more of the same and see if we can take it a step further in any of the competitions to gain some more trophies for us. I already have a bunch of players I'm looking to get loans for next year as well as a few sales to people. I am mainly targeting young under 18 players for signing just to give us depth throughout the whole team, but if an opportunity comes up to get a big player in we will plus replacing anyone should we get an offer we can't refuse from anywhere. How do you rate this season? Is there any positions you'd like us to sign, and any predictions for next season and the World Cup?