Before Newcastle. The proven approach

A quick look ahead at what is still a massive home game for the club.

It came as no surprise that City went top of the table on Wednesday. It was always going to be a tall order for them to slip up after that massive win at the Etihad against Arsenal. But, there was a glimmer of hope in their narrow 1-0 win. Honestly, it gave us plenty of encouragement for a few reasons.

1. City aren’t the force of nature they were two or three years back, when games were usually over by half-time and 4-0 or 3-0 thrashings were the norm. This makes them far more likely to drop points between now and the end of the season.

2. Goal difference is back in play. If they couldn’t run up the score against Burnley, their upcoming fixtures won’t be any easier. I’ve got zero faith in Crystal Palace or Aston Villa to do us a favour in the final two gameweeks. By then, they’ll likely have sorted their own business or be focusing on European finals. But before that, City have to face Everton, Bournemouth, and Brentford. None of those will be a walk in the park—not for the result, and definitely not for goal difference.

This is our chance. The door is ajar, but we need to kick it down. Our next two games are at home against Newcastle and Fulham, and we need to hit the ground running. No time for messing about. We need to be on their throats from the first whistle. If we’re serious about this title charge, we need to be six points and at least five goals better off by the time the Fulham game ends. That’s what will make the squad truly believe this title isn’t wrapped up yet.

And the first step is tomorrow against Newcastle. We have to approach this game with the same level of aggression we brought against City. Newcastle have historically been a nightmare for us, but the time for whining and excuses died at the Etihad. We need to treat them like just another opponent to slay in front of our home crowd.

We know exactly how Newcastle will set up against us: two compact lines of defence, tight spaces, a scrap in midfield, and relying on quick counters, likely through young Osula. To break them down, we need to field players who thrive in tight spaces and can turn physical battles into technical ones, drawing fouls and creating chances. We’ve tried the ‘outmuscle them’ the ‘outduel them’ approach before; it simply doesn’t work. We need to outdribble them.

For me, the attacking setup is clear. Declan Rice should be the sole anchor in the number 6 role (with Norgaard as a backup if needed). Ahead of Declan, we need the creative four: Trossard, Eze, Odegaard, and Saka, with Havertz leading the line. If Saka isn’t fit, get Max Dowman in there.

This front five can be lethal when they link up. All four (minus Havertz) are silky operators who can hold the ball under pressure, and they can become experts at winning penalties or drawing fouls in dangerous areas for Uncle Declan to step up. I don’t want to hear any of this Zubimendi nonsense. He’s not elite at line-breaking passes, physical dominance, or aerial duels. At the moment, he just offers Rice a bit of help with the dirty work and is more secure on the ball than some of our defensive minded players, but that’s it.

We don’t have time for half-ass measures. The cautious, low-risk football we’ve endured just to grind out results has brought us to the level with City, who now have all the momentum. The results haven’t justified the means, and it’s time to bin that approach.

Our only real title push, where we took it to the final day and were ready to pip City on goal difference (should they have dropped points), was the 23/24 season. That was the year we battered Chelsea 5-0, were 3-0 up at half-time at the ‘Toilet Bowl’, put six past West Ham, and destroyed Brighton 3-0 away. That approach yielded 89 points and 91 goals. That’s the only way we look like champions, so it’s high time we revert to it before it’s too late.

Nothing screams ‘title challenge’ like a Rice, Eze, and Odegaard midfield. Plus, if the ‘magic five’ upfront gets us a comfortable lead, we can bring on the pace of Martinelli and Gyokeres to pile on the misery in the final minutes when Newcastle tire and open up.

If you look at Newcastle’s last 10 away games, they’ve shipped plenty—they let in 3+ against both City and Liverpool.

There is absolutely nothing in those stats to suggest we can’t put a few past them, provided we stop playing like we’re afraid of the ‘mighty Newcastle’ myth. Treat them like the 14th-placed side they are—a team with the 14th-worst conceded goals by the way—coming to a title challenger’s backyard. They deserve a proper spanking.

Tomorrow evening, we’ll see if all that talk about ‘the race not being over’ from Rice, Odegaard, and Arteta was just hot air or the real deal!