Resilience. That’s the word I was looking for.
A topsy-turvy Newcastle United season, blighted by injuries and just a couple of weeks ago looking like it was petering out, now looks like it’s gathering momentum as we enter the home straight.
There’s been criticism. Some of it measured, some of it way over the top.
Across the season, despite having the injury list from hell, eight players have turned out in at least seventy five per cent of our Premier League fixtures and it’s these dependables who Eddie Howe has placed huge reliance on.
I believe that if we can avoid defeat at Old Trafford, sixth spot is ours, especially considering who everyone has to play in the run in.
The almost ever presents are Dan Burn, Fabian Schar, Kieran Trippier, Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Miguel Almiron, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.
Collectively, this lot have played 228 EPL fixtures, an average of 28.5 matches each (remember we’ve played 32 after yesterday). Between them, they’ve also contributed two thirds of our 69 league goals.
Big Dan Burn has been immense and despite sustaining a nasty back injury against Arsenal in November, has still made 27 league appearances, weighing in with two goals and two assists. In the past few weeks, he’s reverted to his more regular role as a left sided centre back where he’s looked more assured, having suffered at times when targeted for his lack of pace at left back. Considering he’s played out of position for most of the season, he’s been fabulous.
Remarkably, Fabian Schar hasn’t missed a single league match and has been a colossus. It was only the league cup ties at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge where he didn’t appear and with four league goals and an assist, has made a valuable contribution at the other end of the pitch also. Plus, who could forget his wonderful strike against PSG in the 4-1 win in the Champions League?
Kieran Trippier hasn’t featured since limping off in the 3-0 win against Wolves in early February but our captain fantastic has been just that. Despite a sketchy run of form in the run up to Christmas, Tripps has made 25 league appearances and although he’s only netted once, has a mightily impressive ten assists to his name this campaign.
It’s been revealed that Sean Longstaff broke his foot against Everton last season and has yet to return to full fitness, despite featuring in 29 league games this season, highlighting how badly we’ve needed him during this injury ravaged season. Whilst Longstaff has clearly not been himself, we all know the reason why and his detractors would do well to remember this.
Bruno Guimaraes, our Brazilian talisman and inspiration in the centre of the park, has missed only one league game this season, the two-nil reverse at Bournemouth after picking up his fifth yellow card late on when we beat Arsenal at St James’ Park. Bruno has also featured in every cup match and with four league goals and six assists, his contribution has been nothing short of immense.
Miggy Almiron has racked up 29 league appearances, many of them as a substitute, and only the injury he sustained after coming on in the 4-3 win against West Ham has prevented the little Paraguayan from featuring in every league game. It’s fair to say that Miggy hasn’t been as effective as he was last season, but until the past couple of weeks, has been someone the team has very much relied upon.
Alexander Isak has only featured in 24 league games, which still represents three in every four matches. His tally of seventeen league goals leaves him only three short of Erling Haaland in the race for the golden boot and it’s hard to overstate the importance of our striker from Sweden. His brace against Tottenham means he’s scored seven in his last seven league outings and that has helped propel us up the table.
Finally, Anthony Gordon. With 30 league appearances, Flash has contributed an impressive ten goals and eight assists, not all of them from the flanks, Gordon having to improvise as striker when Isak and Wilson have been unavailable. Gordon has also played in every cup match and the two league games he’s missed were only because of suspension.
Looking towards the season’s finale, West Ham losing today, follows Man Utd, Brighton and Wolves all dropping points yesterday. I’ll be cheering Everton on as they visit Chelsea tomorrow night and with six games left, the bookies have made us favourites to claim that sixth spot.
Who knows, we might even catch Tottenham, whose run-in includes fixtures against the top three and a trip to Stamford Bridge where they rarely do well. All of a sudden, it seems it’s all to play for and there’s more than a hint of optimism in the air. HTL.