They may not have been taking all of the recent headlines, but Newcastle United are one of the hottest teams in the Premier League at the moment. With five wins in a row in all competitions and only one defeat in eight, the Magpies are knocking on the door of the top four just a week before their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Last season was one wrought with injuries for Eddie Howe's team, with not one player in his squad featuring in all 38 matches; only seven players featured in 30 or more.
While fitness still hasn't been fantastic this season for Newcastle, they have been able to rely on a core group of starting players; three players have featured in all 19 games and ten have played at least 17 times in the league.
With this increased reliability, the Magpies have been able to build momentum, winning big games and gaining on the top four. Newcastle enter 2025 just three points and one position off fourth-placed Chelsea with half a season to go.
Big Performances in Big Games
Even though their start to this season was a little hit and miss, Newcastle have been very consistent in the big games, especially at St James' Park.
Newcastle are one of only two sides to be unbeaten against the current top three, and the other of those teams is Arsenal who are in the top three themselves.
As well as taking care of the form teams in the league, Newcastle have also taken seven points from games against Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United. These games haven't actually been too difficult this season, but it shows Newcastle's ability to show up for a big game nonetheless.
This ability could prove pivotal in the second half of the season if Eddie Howe's side are able to replicate these results. It's a tight battle for the Champions League places, especially after Chelsea's recent slide in form, so Newcastle will need to beat several top-four rivals to secure a place among Europe's elite.
The only issue this season for Newcastle has been consistency against the smaller teams. Newcastle suffered poor defeats at home to Brighton and West Ham; the Toon army would likely point to these games as the reason they aren't currently in the top four.
In both games, Newcastle dominated in front of a buoyant St James' crowd, but on both occasions they just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net.
Finding the net has become far less of an issue lately however, because the Premier League's most in-form striker happens to be Newcastle's number 14.
The Isak Effect
Mo Salah has undoubtedly been the Premier League's best player so far this season, but Alexander Isak is certainly in the conversation for the second best.
In 17 Premier League appearances this season, the Swede has netted 12 goals and recorded four assists, leaving him just one shy of the G/A per game average.
It's no coincidence that Newcastle have been wracking up the points recently when you look at Isak's form; the number 14 has netted eight goals and recorded two assists in his last six league games, four of which Newcastle have won.
The main focus of Isak's form is of course the results his goals have allowed Newcastle to secure, but it's perhaps his record in poorer results that shows just how good he is.
Even in defeats to Brentford and Chelsea, Isak found the net, as he did in the thrilling 3 - 3 draw with Liverpool in December.
This brilliant recent form comes after a poor start to the season for the Swede, who scored just one goal in his first six league games this season. But since returning from a broken toe injury in October, Isak has scored in 10 of the 12 Premier League games he's played; this is the same as Salah.
Over the course of a long season, players who can deliver week-in week-out become more valuable every single week. Isak has the potential to finish this Premier League season with 25+ goals, especially as Newcastle have scored in 10 of their last 11 games.
His recent form is of course in part down to his own wonderful performances, but also down to a few tactical tweaks Eddie Howe and his staff have made to get Newcastle back in the top four conversations.
Going For It
Newcastle's defensive record is nothing like what it was a couple of years ago. When Eddie Howe guided his team to fourth place in the 2022/2023 season, the Magpies conceded just 33 goals; they've already conceded 21 halfway through this season.
The obvious fix would seem to be tightening up the defence, but Newcastle have opted for the opposite approach; score so many goals the opponent can't catch up.
One of the most important parts of this idea working has been Lewis Hall's emergence as a top class left-back. The 20-year-old, signed from Chelsea last season, has been brilliant for Newcastle in recent weeks.
Originally picked up for his attacking threat, the defensive side of Hall's game has developed massively, peaking with a man-of-the-match performance in Newcastle's 2 - 0 win at Old Trafford at the end of 2024.
Eddie Howe has made bold choices with his team selections in recent weeks, picking more attacking players such as Lewis Hall and Joelinton over the more conservative options he has available.
This tactic became evident during the Liverpool game, where Newcastle were far more aggressive against the league leaders than even Arsenal or Nottingham Forest were.
A 3 - 3 draw by throwing the kitchen sink at Liverpool was Eddie Howe's preferred method for snatching a point rather than trying to scrape a tight 0 - 0 or 1 - 1, and in fairness to the Englishman, he got it absolutely spot on.
Newcastle led twice against Liverpool and rescued a late equaliser, simply because they didn't take their foot off the gas at any point.
This approach was less successful in a 4 - 2 defeat to Brentford in West London the following weekend, but the Toons have won five in a row since then, including a Carabao Cup tie against the Bees.
Across these four league games and single cup tie, the Magpies have scored 16 goals. With this attacking prowess has come an improvement in defensive numbers, with just one goal conceded in this five game winning run.
That being said, the run has included two games against sides in the bottom three, one against an Aston Villa side who played the majority of the game with ten men and a win away to a desperately out-of-form Manchester United.
Newcastle have done all that they can though by beating the sides in front of them. A return to European football will be the bare minimum target in the second half of the season; the question really is just how high they can go.
On Target for European Football
Newcastle's Champions League hopes have not only been boosted by their own brilliant form, but also Chelsea's dramatic slump.
In their past three games, despite playing Everton, Fulham and Ipswich, Chelsea have scored just one goal and recorded just one point; Newcastle have netted nine in three straight wins in the same period.
As well as Chelsea's wavering form, it's possible that Nottingham Forest, considered out of place by some, could struggle to deliver a second half of the season as spectacular as their first.
While a dip in form for Forest looks highly unlikely after their ruthless first half of the season, the Reds are arguably only one or two key injuries away from a big problem, especially in their midfield.
The lack of consistency of both Manchester City and Aston Villa below Newcastle will also have Eddie Howe confident that his side are in with a great chance of returning to the Champions League.
They may not even need to get into the top four remember, with the top two performing European leagues in European competition getting an additional spot in the Champions League; this means fifth could be enough for Newcastle.
Premier League aside, Newcastle do have two further routes into Europe, one of which looks particularly tantalising given their current form.
Cup Runs
Arsenal await the Magpies in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, a tall test of their brilliant recent form.
After a trip to the Gunners' arch-rivals Tottenham on Saturday, Newcastle head to the Emirates for the first leg in fine form. But their record at the Emirates isn't so fine. In fact, it's absolutely atrocious.
The Magpies have just a single win at the Emirates since Arsenal's move there in 2006; Newcastle have won on none of their past 13 visits.
Their record at St James' for the visit of the Gunners wasn't much better until Eddie Howe took over. Since the Englishman moved to the North East, Newcastle have won three of their four games at home to Arsenal.
Essentially then this sets up a tie where the home advantage is key.
Arsenal are probably favourites at the Emirates unless anything drastic happens in their trip to Brighton, especially given the ruthless manor in which the Gunners dismantled Newcastle in their 4 - 1 win over the Magpies last season.
Of course the Carabao Cup isn't the only cup Newcastle are in; the FA Cup kicks off for the Premier League and Championship clubs in just a couple of weeks, and the Magpies have a kind tie against League Two Bromley.
But even though the Ravens are 75 places below Newcastle, they might just fancy an upset given Newcastle's recent record in the FA Cup.
Although the Magpies did reach the quarter-finals last season, losing 2 - 0 to eventual runners-up Manchester City, but in the two seasons before they were shocked by Sheffield Wednesday and Cambridge United.
Make no mistake, it would be an even bigger shock for Bromley to go to the North East and make it through to the Fourth Round, but it is possible.
Should Newcastle get the job done however, the potential reward of a Europa League place may push Eddie Howe to go for it in the oldest competition in the world.
Whether through the Premier League or a cup competition, Newcastle will expect to get back into Europe next season. With their blistering Premier League form, the Magpies are certainly capable of putting away the bottom half teams they've often struggled against this season the second time around.
Equally the clinical form of Alexander Isak could prove pivotal in big games on a potential cup run. Newcastle are a two-legged tie against Arsenal away from Wembley in the League Cup, but also start their FA Cup campaign between the two semi-final matches.
Eddie Howe's team may not have had a good season last campaign, but they're determined to prove that it was nothing more than a blip and that Newcastle are a European football team.
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