Man City draw should show the way for 'gatecrashers' Newcastle United

Newcastle United’s gatecrashing of the Premier League top four during the 2022/23 season felt like an unwanted, chaotic din at a party reserved for the chosen few.

Although maybe not something in the calibre of Jurgen Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ football that brought success to Borussia Dortmund, the Magpies did make something of a racket as they forced their way into the elite amid an explosion of energy and intensity. The aggression and anger shown by Eddie Howe’s side was matched in the St James Park stands as United’s famous old home became a cauldron of power and intimidation. The likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea wilted in front of a Gallowgate End baying for more from their players, who fed off the energy to steamroller the sides they were aiming to surpass. Fourth place and a return to the Champions League after a two-decade absence was eventually secured with a surprisingly low-key goalless draw with Leicester City - and the Magpies, backed by their Saudi-led owners looked set to make an impression at European football’s top table.

A draw at AC Milan and the memorable 4-1 home win against Paris Saint-Germain seemed to hint at something for the ages playing out in front of our eyes - but a Magpies squad decimated by injuries and plagued with an unsuccessful battle with inconsistency exited at the group stage after Milan came from behind to claim a 2-1 win on the final matchday at a crestfallen St James Park. There was something of a European hangover as Howe’s side struggled to find form, despite some notable wins against the likes of Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea (again!). A return to continental competition looked to have been secured with a win at Brentford on the final day of a quite frankly draining campaign - but it was snatched away by Manchester United’s FA Cup Final win against Manchester City.

The season, Howe’s first in European football, was a sharp learning curve for every level of the club. In reality, on-field progress had far surpassed improvements behind the scenes as the skeletal structure left behind by the club’s former owner was fleshed out with new appointments that could not come quick enough. It would be fair to say there has been something of a hangover from last season in the early weeks of the current campaign as positive results masked what felt like underwhelming performances.

To Howe’s credit, slowly but surely, he seems to be coaxing some major improvements out of his players and Saturday’s home draw with Manchester City brought a familiar feeling that was conspicuous by its absence last season. There was a high-energy, intense nature about the Magpies play. City, despite taking the lead with a well-worked goal from Josko Gvardiol, never felt truly comfortable in any way, shape or form. There was a previously unforeseen nervousness about their play and Newcastle, although perhaps falling short of intimidating the champions, did provide a more than uncomfortable visit to St James Park for Pep Guardiola and his players. Not that anyway needed to tell the City boss.

Speaking after the game, he said: "I said to him (Eddie Howe) I admire him and the way he approaches the game. Newcastle press high and are so hard to play against. They have a lot of legs. When you are a manager you are always polite to an opponent who is trying to do the right things. In general, we played really good. Newcastle are impossible to contain over a whole 90 minutes. At 1-0 we made some bad decisions and did not make it 2-0. We would like to have won but we take the point."It was difficult, with their physicality because they defend so deep and they defend so well. After the goal they scored, they had five or 10 minutes but it’s always like that at St James’ Park.”

Although it is just one game, there should be cautious optimism Howe is getting a tune out of his players once again and the qualities shown by the Magpies players during Saturday’s draw must be produced with regularity throughout the remainder of a season that can still offer some much for Newcastle and their supporters.