What is possible for Newcastle in the Premier League this season?

Eddie Howe has taken this Newcastle side from strength to strength since he took charge of the first team. 

They currently find themselves sixth in the table and have only lost one Premier League match all season. 

Last season for Newcastle 

Last season can be split into two halves for Newcastle and the results on either side are vastly different. 

It had become clear that Steve Bruce was no longer the man for the job as Newcastle were firmly rooted in the relegation zone at the start of the season. 

Bruce’s side looked devoid of ideas or creativity and they were shipping goals for fun. 

He was ultimately sacked after eight games of the season, with Newcastle winless in the Premier League. 

Newcastle had to wait until gameweek 15 to claim their first win of the season and until gameweek 23 for their second win. 

Howe almost instantly impacted things at Newcastle though and they haven’t looked back since. 

The 44-year-old took over in November last year and picked up 44 points in 27 matches last season. 

Under Howe, Newcastle averaged 1.62 points per game which is seriously impressive for the side he had. 

If Newcastle had averaged 1.62 PPG for the entirety of last season they would have finished with 62 points and finished in 6th place, ahead of Man United. 

Newcastle ultimately finished the season in 11th place and averaged 1.28 PPG throughout the season. 

What’s possible for Newcastle this season? 

Howe’s side have continued to improve this season and have added well to the squad in the summer transfer window. 

Newcastle currently rank as one of the best defensive units in the league. Having only conceded nine goals this season, they have the joint-best defensive record in the league. 

Nick Pope has had a superb season up until this point, but their entire defensive structure has been solid. 

Howe’s side have faced an average of 12.2 shots per game and have kept three clean sheets. 

They have accumulated 14 points in their opening nine matches at a rate of 1.55 per game. 

For context, if they were to continue to pick up points at the same ratio they would finish the season with 59 points, which would be an improvement of six points from last season. 

So far they have only lost once in the league, but they have had some frustrating draws so far. Five of Newcastle’s opening nine matches have ended as draws. 

They have been in excellent goalscoring form of late though as they have scored nine goals in their last two matches and won both games in convincing fashion. 

If they continue to score goals at their current rate, they will have no problem with turning some of those draws into wins. 

Next up for Newcastle is a trip to Old Trafford to play Man United. The game this weekend will serve as an interesting indication of where Howe’s side are currently at. 

Newcastle are currently just one point behind United and they will have the opportunity to go above them at the weekend. 

A big advantage Newcastle have over the rest of the sides around them is that they don’t have European football to contend with this year. 

We have already seen the likes of Chelsea and Man City rotating their squads due to the high volume of matches they have been playing recently. 

If Newcastle continue on their current trajectory and strengthen in the January window, there’s no reason why they can’t compete for a place in Europe this season.