Newcastle United: This should be the objective for the next 5 games

Newcastle United are coming off a 3-2 victory over Southampton at St. James’ Park. That performance was quite the tale of two halves, but the Magpies did enough to protect their lead despite playing with nine men in the second half.

The arrival of Graeme Jones and the return of Allan Saint-Maximin has benefited Newcastle United in several ways, but most notably the style of play in the final third. The Toon are much more confident on the ball, they apply pressure higher up the pitch, and Miguel Almiron is finally looking like the player Rafa Benitez scouted in the MLS two years ago.

The next five games consist of three road games and two home fixtures against the following outfits:

• February 15th – Chelsea (A)
• February 21st – Manchester United (A)
• February 27th – Wolverhampton (H)
• March 6th – West Brom (A)
• March 13th – Aston Villa (H)

The objective for Newcastle United over their next five games is straightforward: seven points.

Taking the maximum number of points from these five games is obviously ideal, but also a bit insane to even consider. Realistically speaking the point target should be seven points. Any result other than victories against Wolverhampton and West Brom would be unacceptable.

Newcastle United have what it takes to defeat Aston Villa, but Dean Smith’s side is full of confidence and have their eyes set on European football. A win would be a fantastic result for Steve Bruce against his former club, but a draw would also be a praiseworthy result.

The clashes against Chelsea and Manchester United, both back-to-back away games, will present the Magpies with many challenges. It remains to be seen what approach Newcastle United take in those games. If Bruce and his staff deploy a 4-3-3 shape and give the green light to apply high pressure then things could get interesting.

On paper, the English giants are expected to get the job done, but Chelsea have a few injuries and the team is still adjusting to their new manager. Manchester United, on the other hand, should be more aggressive seeing that they are directly in this season’s title race.