‘This Is Now A Different Newcastle Team'
- Newcastle United host Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend
- Sunday’s fixture is a 2:15pm BST kick-off at St. James’ Park
- Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder gives his take on the Magpies
- Results have been positive under manager Eddie Howe in 2022
The pair meet in the Premier League for the second time this season following a 4-0 victory for the Foxes back in December. Since then, Eddie Howe has overseen a major upturn in the Magpies’ fortunes over the course of his five-month tenure.
Speaking to LCFC Radio’s Matchday Live show in the build-up to the contest, Ryder believes it is a much-improved outfit from the one City overcame earlier in the campaign, both in terms of personnel and mentality.
“It’s changed quite dramatically, a complete transformation really,” he said, assessing how the manager has shifted the atmosphere around the Club after taking over from Steve Bruce. “Obviously, there’s still been a few bumps in the road, as you’d expect with any team, but Eddie Howe has turned it around and done really well.
“A combination of solid home form, some important wins on the road at places like Southampton and Brentford and not losing a Premier League home game since last December - he’s done a really good job. It’s been a whole range of things, but Eddie Howe is the one who has led it.
“The mood is very different up here, which will generate a big atmosphere on Easter Sunday. The fans will be out in force, and it should be an unbelievable game in store. The last time the two teams met it was an easy win for Leicester, but this is a different Newcastle team that Leicester will come up against now.
“The fans were always behind the team but what you’ve got now is a city that is united in terms of everyone being behind the project. It’s still early days but they are looking at things a lot more optimistically. We’re starting to see the potential of what it was like in the 90s building again.”
A host of new signings who arrived during the winter transfer window have bolstered the squad, including England international Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid and Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães.
Also joining from fellow Premier League clubs were former Foxes forward Chris Wood (Burnley), Dan Burn (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Matt Targett (Aston Villa) – all influential in Newcastle’s rise up the Premier League standings.
The journalist continued: “We’ve had the added bonus of the £91M shopping spree in January bringing in players like Trippier and Bruno, fully fledged internationals, but overall, it’s been a good team effort and the players that weren’t performing under the previous manager have picked up a little bit.
“The Trippier injury was really unfortunate, but he had more than played his part before that, scoring two goals against Everton and Aston Villa. A huge contribution from him before he got injured and hopefully he’s back soon.
“Bruno is different, he was bedded in slowly, started his first game at Southampton and scored a Goal of the Month contender. The back heel on the volley in front of the away fans was just really surreal to see and he’s done very well.
“Bruno was absolutely sparkling on Friday night in terms of rolling the ball around, he was absolutely brilliant. We haven’t seen a Rolls Royce midfielder like that for a long time. Wood has just won a penalty and scored it, had a goal disallowed. He’s knocking on the door again with goals and chances.
“People like Chris Wood and Matt Targett have also done really good jobs. Wood’s scored a couple of goals, Targett is playing at left-back as if he’s been here for decades it seems, the way he plays. It’s quite unusual for all your January signings to make an impact in a short space of time, but that’s exactly what has happened. Newcastle were in dire need of it.”
It’s not just the new recruits who have made a difference, either. A collective group effort led to their run of six wins in seven games at the start of 2022 and a nine-game unbeaten streak stretching from December to March.
“Fabian Schär at centre-back is doing well at the minute,” Ryder added. “Hopefully he’s going to sign a new contract. He’s been here a while and he’s attracted interest from Germany. He’s in good form as well.
“There’s unsung heroes like Emil Krafth, who has come in instead of Trippier and been absolutely brilliant. He’s probably been a solid 8 out of 10 every game. Newcastle had that little blip before Wolves, which was probably down to a lot of away games in a short space of time either side of an international break.
“A lot of factors helped - there are a lot of players who are in form. Some players are playing for their futures and that’s culminated in a really competitive squad, which is good for Newcastle in general.”