Newcastle
legend predict newcastle premier league fate ”alan shearer”
A stoppage time winner from Oscar Bobb ensured that Manchester City stole all three points, after Newcastle had worked so hard to defend their lead.
It was an exhilarating game at St James’ Park, and one that Newcastle were actually winning for a long time. After Man City had taken the lead through Bernardo Silva, a quickfire double turned the game on its head.
Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon scored within minutes of each other to put Newcastle in front, but this was before Kevin De Bruyne was on the pitch.
His second half arrival signalled the beginning of the end, as he recorded a goal and an assist on just his second Premier League appearance of the season. His immediate impact on his return could be a seismic moment in the Premier League title race.
For Newcastle, it was heartbreak. They sat in and tried to defend their lead, but were unable to. There have since been a lot of complaints about the Magpies’ tactics, with fans questioning why they did not go for the third goal.
That criticism seems harsh. Man City suffocated us in the second half, while leading against a team of that calibre when you know you don’t have a proper bench must be so mentally taxing. Howe’s players will have wanted to get a third, but they were forced into survival mode.
Sadly, it led to an excruciating defeat. It comes at a time when we are desperate for points, but there should be a lot of pride in the performance.
In the eyes of Alan Shearer, there is no need to panic, and he still thinks Newcastle have enough to enjoy a decent season.
Alan Shearer is optimistic despite Newcastle defeat
Shearer addressed Newcastle’s latest defeat on the most recent episode of The Rest Is Football podcast.
“The mood is fine. Really fine,” he said.
“I think everyone understands the situation, yesterday would have been a great example of being able to change it in the last half an hour because the players that were there were running on empty and it needed some fresh legs on there. Normally you’d have Willock, Harvey Barnes, Callum Wilson but they have so many injuries it’s incredible.
“There is no panic. It is what it is, I thought they played really well. They tried to nick the point by sitting back but it’s a difficult thing to do and you are always going to be up against it. And it showed as they are bringing on Kevin de Bruyne in the last 20 minutes and Newcastle are hanging on.
“So, yeah, as much as it’s disappointing to lose the game and it hurt with the manner it was lost but no panic. I think everyone understands last year they overachieved and this season might be a levelling off but I still think hey might get into fifth or sixth.”
Top six finish is going to be extremely difficult for Newcastle
As Shearer says, Newcastle would have a really strong bench if they had everyone fully fit. Instead, the only player who Eddie Howe decided to bring on was Lewis Hall.
Tiredness and injuries should not be used as an excuse, but it does not take a genius to see how much of an issue it is proving to be.
If Howe had more options, he might have been able to mastermind a famous victory. Instead, his side are 10th in the Premier League and might struggle to get back into Europe.
But Shearer disagrees. He still believes that fifth or sixth is a possibility, and you have to admire the optimism. However, that is going to be extremely difficult. For reference, the Magpies are 11 points behind Tottenham, who are currently fifth.
Newcastle do have the ability to go on a run and close that gap. The talent is certainly there. And it is not every week that you play the champions of the world.
With a less intense schedule, Newcastle can start to improve. That will happen, but the fear is that the damage is already done.
