Manuel Pellegrini assesses Newcastle’s start to the season

Follow us on Google Discover

Newcastle United host West Ham United in the Premier League this weekend, and the Magpies will be looking for their fourth win in a row.

In comments reported by Football London, West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has suggested that Newcastle’s current position in the Premier League table is a much better reflection of their quality as a squad than where they found themselves during the opening weeks of the campaign.

The Magpies host the Hammers this weekend looking to secure their fourth win in a row after victories over Watford, Bournemouth and Burnley.

Rafa Benitez’s side’s run has taken Newcastle up to 13th in the table, one place ahead of West Ham. And ahead of Saturday’s meeting between the two, the Irons boss insisted that their improvement has not been a surprise.

“I think that Newcastle started the season very bad but they were all tight games they lost, they have a good team. Maybe their position now in the table is more realistic for the squad they have,” he said, as reported by Football London.

As Pellegrini suggests, each individual result during Newcastle’s disappointing run at the start of the season was not too bad. They faced the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, and yet their heaviest defeat was the 2-0 loss against Leicester City.

Newcastle fans will not be getting carried away with their recent upturn in form, but there is definitely reason for greater optimism. And a win against the Hammers this weekend would be another impressive statement.

It would also prove to be a major blow for the Irons if they were unable to secure a positive result having only won once since the end of September.