Despite their position in the table, Newcastle United have not been as dominant in the Championship as people thought.
Whilst their position in first place in the Championship certainly tells a commanding story, five losses is not what Magpies fans would have expected before entering the Christmas break. Three defeats on the bounce in all competitions leaves them in desperate need of a result at the weekend, and it seems entirely possible that Rafa Benitez underestimated the difficulty of the task this season.
Much like Norwich a month or so ago, Newcastle were riding high with seemingly no one able to stop them. But unfortunately, as is usually the case in the Championship, anyone can beat anyone on their day and for a side who aren’t experienced at this level that can prove to be quite the shock.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez during the press conference
The overall quality of the sides in the division is gradually improving, too. The term “hoof ball” has been credited to the second tier of English football for years now, but in 2016 it could not be further from the case. Week in and week out we are seeing quality play from a good deal of the teams towards the top of the league, and it’s probably caught Newcastle a bit off guard.
They may well have prepared for a gritty game or two when looking towards their stay in the Championship, but the mixture you get in the division now is enough to confuse anyone. Nobody can predict what you are going to get in every single game across this marathon season – not even Rafa.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez
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