Season 4 - Defence Wins Titles?

We go into the run up to the January transfer window and the half way mark hoping to build in the decent start we've had and trying to put ourselves in the mix for the end of the season again. Our defence has suddenly become the best in the league which is helping matters and gives us such a solid ground to start from as our attacking players find their form throughout the year. Luckily we have the options to rotate as well and keep people fresh without dropping the level of the team massively too so our squad building has worked brilliantly. Let's get into it as we have quite a few games to get through.

The Matches

PSG 1 - 1 Newcastle (Champions League - League Stage)

We started off with another even game with PSG like the previous two times we have faced them and once again held our own at their ground. The first half really didn't have anything happen and we had to wait for the second half to really start seeing chances opening up for either team. We took the lead at the beginning of the second half when Kuol played a one two with Wirtz which freed him up in the box and his shot beat the keeper to make it 1-0. We almost added a second when Nypan had a header from close range well saved by their keeper to keep it close. They got their equaliser when Asensio got into the box on the right hand side and played it across goal and low for Barcola to tap in to level it up. A tight match but a good point away against a European giant.

Newcastle 1 - 0 Man U

Up next in the league was top of the league Man U so we was expecting a close game with them. However instead we got a comfortable win and the only thing letting us down was our finishing to keep the score close. Things were made easier for us on the 21st minute when Ugarte went in two footed on Gordon and received a red card for an awful tackle. A few minutes later, Miley gave it into Wirtz who looked like he was about to pass, but instead opened his body up and found himself in space to shoot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner to give us the lead. There wasn't really any clear cut chances throughout the rest of the game until the 88th minute when Isak went through and beat the keeper, only for his effort to bounce back off the bar and it remained 1-0. Either way a good win for us if we're looking to mount a title challenge.

Brentford 0 - 0 Newcastle

Sticking with the league and again we suffered due to our poor finishing. We were by the far the better team overall in this game and should have done enough to get at least a goal to win it but it wasn't to be. However it was another strong performance by our defence and a consecutive clean sheet in the league. Unfortunately for this game there really wasn't any major chances to comment on for either team nor was there any instances that created drama. This was the definition of a bore draw and could be a costly 2 points dropped at the end of the season if we remember we lost out on goal difference last year.

Newcastle 3 - 0 Frankfurt (Champions League - League Stage)

Thankfully the issue with scoring goals didn't cross over into the Champions League as we took the chances that came our way in this game and got back to winning ways. We had to criticise Isak's form before this game as his performances were dropping off and had now gone over 10 hours without scoring a goal so was hoping to get some reaction from him. We took the lead when Livramento got the ball out wide and cut it back to the edge of the box where Wirtz took a touch into the box and smashed it past the keeper. Wirtz then took a free kick into the box which was half cleared but only as far as Muzambo, who ran back into the box with the ball before firing low to double our lead before half time. We almost add a third when Frimpong came down the right wing and cut it into Pino who's shot was stopped on the line. However the third did come when a corner was half cleared and Kjelsen collected the ball on the edge of the box before giving it to Livramento on the left, who got in to the box and finished from close range to see out the game.

Newcastle 5 - 0 Burnley

Back to the Premier League and complete dominance became the clear outline of the game against Burnley. Having 29 shots to their 4, without a single one on target for them and then on top of that, we finished a bunch of our chances. We deserved to win big and win big we did. We got started when Gordon and Sesko played a one two on the edge of the box and Gordon went through and finished under the keeper for the lead. Nypan intercepted the ball as they tried to play out from the back, and gave it into Sesko who spotted Kuol in space on the right. He knocked it over to him and Kuol was able to beat the keeper to make it 2-0. Gordon then received the ball deep from Livramento, then went on a run past three defenders before firing into bottom corner from the edge of the box to make it 3-0 at half time. The fourth came when Kuol played it back to the edge of the box where Finneran was able to smash it into the top corner for his first goal for the club. Then the fifth finally came when Muzambo crossed it into the box and Isak was able to get on the end of it and volley it past the keeper to end his goal drought and seal a comfortable win.

Sunderland 1 - 4 Newcastle

Next up was the rivalry match for the first time in the Premier League and we really reminded them of the gap between the two clubs. They started well in the first half as they had the fans behind them but we were able to just ride it out then take complete control as the game went on. We took the lead when Wirtz gave it to Sesko who pushed it into the box, moved to the left of his defender and then his shot beat the keeper. They got an equaliser when Isidor won a header at the back post from a corner shortly afterwards but it went downhill for them from there. Miley gave it out wide to Pino who gave it him back on the edge of the box and his first time shot from the edge of the area found the bottom corner for the lead at half time. Wirtz then sent in a freekick to the back post where Sildillia was able to win his header and knock it back across goal, where Harwood-Bellis was waiting and headed it in from close range to make it 3-1. The final goal came when Miley gave it to Livramento who's first touch opened it up for him and he charged into the box and found the far corner to make it 4-1.

Newcastle 3 - 1 Arsenal

A game that we expected to be quite close became a bit one sided in our favour and you could start to understand why Arsenal were struggling this season. Either way a win against the traditional top 6 clubs is always a big boost for us in our hunt for our first league title and the more of them we get, the more we cement ourselves in that group of big teams of the modern day. We took the lead when Wirtz played a perfect pass through for Pino who ran into the box and smashed it past the keeper for 1-0. However it was short lived as Martinelli got down the left and sent in a cross which Calvert-Lewin won his header in the middle to level it up. They thought they had the lead for half time as Livramento tried to clear it and hit it straight against their player and it fell to Saka who finished, but Saka was offside when it came off the original player so it was disallowed. Tonali switched it over to Lewis-Skelly who played it inside to Miley who was able to find the top corner when shooting from the corner of the box on the left hand side, an excellent goal to regain the lead. As the game was coming to an end we were boxing them in and just playing it round the edge of their box, the ball then came to Nypan who took a touch forward and found himself in the box with space, he played it across the six yard box and Sesko was there to tap in our third and seal a big win.

Besiktas 1 - 5 Newcastle (Champions League - League Stage)

Another big win in the Champions League meant that campaign was going very well too and we were putting ourselves in a good position to go through automatically without having to do the extra play off round at this rate. We took the lead when Tonali and Muzambo played it on the edge of the box before Tonali gave it over to Kjelsen who was still up from a corner, and he took a long range effort into the top corner to give us the lead. However we only had the lead for a short time as they quickly equalised from a corner to make it 1-1. That only lasted for five minutes though, as Finneran played it into Muzambo who created some space for himself before his shot beat the keeper to make it 2-1. Just as the half was coming to an end, Wirtz pulled it back for Finneran who was able to beat his marker and then find the bottom corner to make it 3-1 at half time. The fourth was a bit scrappy as we took a corner and it was half cleared, it fell to Lewis-Skelly on the edge of the box who hit it goalwards first time and it took a huge deflection and went in but was ruled as an own goal. Then we added our fifth when Muzambo switched it to Kuol who was able to play it into the path of Sesko and he finished under the keeper.

Norwich 0 - 3 Newcastle

Back to the Premier League next and we had another strong display where the result was never really in question. We had a full rotated midfield for this one as we wanted to keep people fresh and the players who came in had been deserving some more game time recently anyway as they have all been performing and training well over the last few weeks. We took the lead when Nypan collected the ball on the edge of the box and played it into Pino who came forward into a narrow angle before hitting it hard past the keeper. They tried to play it out from the back and Finneran won it straight back before putting Isak through one on one with the keeper, but he put his effort wide and kept it at 1-0 at half time. Livramento played a long ball forward for Muzambo inside the box who was taken out by a defender as he was meeting the ball and a penalty was given. Isak stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to double our lead. Miley then stepped up to take a freekick from 30 yards out and curled it straight into the top corner to seal a comfortable win.

Newcastle 4 - 1 Sunderland (Carabao Cup Quarter Final)

Due to it being the cup we rotated a lot of the players for this game but it still didn't change the pattern or the result of the last few games. It looks like we have a full squad of players all in the flow of things at the moment and anyone can come in and perform as we need them to currently which is really promising. Miley got the ball on the edge of the box and gave it to Sesko inside the 6 yard box, he was able to turn and get his finish off to give us the lead. Isidor then goes over in the box after a coming together with Livramento and a penalty is given, but Caprile guesses the correct way and saves it. They did get their equaliser though when Sildillia missed his chance to intercept the ball and it went through for Bellingham to be one on one and he was able to take his chance. Lorran then played a one two with Livramento down the right before cutting it in to Nypan who's effort went under the keeper and regained our lead just before half time. Early in the second half Sesko went to meet a corner and was shoved to the floor and we received a penalty of our own, Sesko stepped up and fired into the bottom corner to show them how to score a penalty. Lewis-Skelly then sent in a deep cross which Miley won his header to come back across goal where Diomande met it for a tap in but the offside flag ruled it out and kept the score at 3-1. Moments later though Muzambo got the ball on the edge of the box before laying it over to Harwood-Bellis who smashed it from range into the top corner to seal the win. We will face Chelsea in the semi final this year.

Newcastle 3 - 0 Leicester

Back to the Premier League and once again, we completely limit the opposition to nothing chances whilst we create plenty ourselves and get the goals we deserve. It has become a bit of a theme over this run of games which we're pleased to see. We took the lead early when Kuol got it out on the right, played it into Wirtz and followed his pass and received it back from Wirtz before finishing from close range. We thought we had a second when Wirtz slid it through for Isak who beats the keeper but he went too early and it's disallowed for offside. Isak then played a one two with Kuol and got himself into the box and found the bottom corner to double our lead as this one counted. We had to wait for the second half for our final goal which became one of our trademark goals. Wirtz took the corner to the near post and Diomande was able to win his header and beat the keeper to make it 3-0. Another comfortable win.

Wolves 0 - 0 Newcastle

Unfortunately our attack couldn't keep up their end of the bargain in this game despite a rotated defence once again keeping a clean sheet. We did create a couple of chances but not enough to win the game and came away with another bore draw. Wirtz came close a couple of times with chances and Muzambo had a decent run with a poor finish at the end but there really wasn't anything major to speak about and more dropped points that could prove costly at the end of the year.

Southampton 0 - 1 Newcastle

Next was an away trip to the South Coast and it was very nearly another frustrating one. The defence once again did their part and only allowed 1 shot all game against us but the finishing just wasn't there and we were very close to a second 0-0 draw in a row. Fortunately Pino who came on in the second half was able to take one of the few chances we created and we did get a narrow win. The goal came when Muzambo received the ball off Isak and poked it through for Pino to run on to and he found the bottom corner in the 87th minute of the game. It was a deserved goal but we were so close to dropping more points.

Newcastle 4 - 0 Bournemouth

This time we brought the South Coast to our ground, and we found our scoring boots again and went on another dominant performance. We were also fortunate to have Hall coming back from injury for the first time in 3 months and we also have Bruno back in training now as well so he is soon to be an option for us. We should have had the lead within the first 10 minutes as we had two chances cleared off the line before that time. Instead we had to wait until the 14th, when Gordon crossed it in to the box and Miley won his header, the keeper saved it but made a meal of it and Sesko was able to head in from close range for the lead. Gordon then gave it to Miley on the edge of the box who turned and shot into the bottom corner, but the goal was disallowed for offside. We did double our lead 5 minutes later though when Wirtz played a one two with Hall on the left and then opened up the space inside to find the bottom corner. Pino then turned his defender and played it low across the box where Nypan was coming in to meet it and make it 3-0. Then finally got our fourth as Miley played it over the top towards Gordon who headed it towards the penalty spot where Isak was able to meet it on the volley to seal the win and finish the year on a high.

Competitions

Premier League

We currently sit top of the league with a 3 point gap to second place but we also have a heavy goal difference in our favour this time round. As we have only conceded 11 goals all season to show our defence really has become a title winning level. We also have 48 goals which is only bettered by second place Chelsea with 50 so we seem to have the level across the pitch this year. Forest are once again doing well at this point in 5th place and if they win their game in hand could go third. Villa also doing well in 7th and currently claiming a European spot whilst Spurs and Arsenal are the big teams missing out so far this year. Sunderland, Leicester and Southampton are all struggling on 9 points each whilst 17th place Norwich have 11, but then there's a bit of a gap up to 17 points for Fulham and Wolves above that.

Champions League

In the Champions League we have currently qualified for the play off rounds at least, but with 2 games remaining we seem to be in a strong position for automatic qualifying with a 5 point gap to 9th place. Real Madrid and Liverpool have already qualified with a perfect record so far, and there's a few teams that will be looking for improvement in the last 2 games as currently Benfica, PSV, Ajax and Lazio are all missing out all together. Slavia Prague, Kobenhavn, Panathinaikos, PAOK and Celtic are all currently in those playoff qualifying positions so we could get a few interesting teams progressing through.

Carabao Cup

We are in the Carabao Cup Semi Finals for the 4th year in a row and looking to make it a third consecutive final in this competition. We will be facing Chelsea whilst the other side will see Liverpool and Man U battle it out so it's a tough last couple of games if we're to win it again.

Awards

European Golden Boy

On the back of winning the NXGN award at the end of the season, Lewis Miley has now won the European Golden Boy for the calendar year of 2026 really showing how much he has improved and come on over this year. He now joins names such as Jude Bellingham, Gavi, Pedri, Haaland, Mbappe and Pogba who have all won it in the past.

You can see why as well when you see his progression, he has become an all round midfielder now and still has room to grow at just 20 years old. He's actually causing me a bit of a headache now as Bruno is back from injury but I'm tempted to cash in on him as he's 29 and his contract ends in a year and a half, whilst promoting Miley to the starter. The other reason for that is Finneran has done so well coming through as well that he is now ready to play more at Premier League level and adding Bruno back into that mix could stifle his progression.

Next Time

Next up we have the January transfer window, including 8 games of football to get through. We have a double header against Tottenham to begin with as we start the FA Cup as well, we also have the last 2 games of the Champions League League Stage and the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi final. We also fit in a game against Man City in the league amongst that and high flying Villa too. As mentioned with Bruno we've got some decisions to make on players, including loaning out more players as it looks like development is working better for people who are out on loan rather than staying and only playing bits with us.