Why Newcastle's stunning run feels all the more incredible this time around
What a week it's been for Newcastle, who've not only hammered Man Utd in their own backyard, but then beaten Arsenal; a side who hadn't lost in the league all season prior to their trip to St James' Park.
Last season, we saw what Eddie Howe and this squad were capable of, but our recent run is made all the more impressive when you look at the hand we've been dealt over the past few months.
It all started with tough fixtures. Aston Villa, Man City, Brighton and Liverpool in our first four. No one had a harder start and the pressure was on after three-straight defeats. Our response to that? A run of seven games without a defeat, featuring five wins, five clean sheets, 20 goals for, just four goals against and not one conceded at St James' Park since Liverpool's freak win in August.
Then we've had the injuries and suspension issues, which we've coped with superbly. The Sandro Tonali saga has been enough of a distraction for the player, Howe and the squad, but injuries have meant he and our second most expensive summer signing - Harvey Barnes - will barely play. On top of that, we've seen the likes of Sven Botman, Joelinton, Joe Willock, Alexander Isak and Elliot Anderson all miss big chunks of fixtures through injury.
Fringe men had to step up in their absence and so many have. Jamaal Lascelles has become the latest Eddie Howe success story, Jacob Murphy (another who is now injured) has filled in superbly and the likes of Paul Dummett and Emil Krafth have played a key role in our cup run, despite barely kicking a ball over the past 15 months.
I touched on the tough league fixtures before, but that has extended to the Champions League and Carabao Cup. PSG, Milan and Dortmund was the 'group of death', yet we blew away the Ligue 1 giants, got a clean sheet at the San Siro and deserved something against BVB. As for the cup, we've done incredibly to reach the quarter-finals when you consider our draws - Man City and then Man Utd away - and the hectic schedule that's forced us to rotate heavily or play those who probably needed a rest.
It's been a huge effort from all, summed up by 14 different scorers and our ability to keep on winning no matter who does (or doesn't!) play. After our slow start to the season, few in live betting backed us to go on this run - and that's before all of the above setbacks we've overcome on the way.
Last week summed it up perfectly. Eight changes at Old Trafford, so many first starts of the season, yet we won that 3-0 and won to nil against on Saturday when some of our 'big guns' returned for Arsenal. Whether it's the intensity, togetherness or passion of the players, our ability to respond to setbacks or Howe's constant pursuit of success, I love everything about this Newcastle United team.
