The Athletic journalist George Caulkin has given his verdict on whether Newcastle United will remain in the Premier League this season.
What’s he said?
The Magpies have been on a remarkably poor run of form.
Since the turn of the year, they have won just once in the Premier League, beating Chelsea 1-0, and have lost to Leicester City, Arsenal, and, on Saturday, to Crystal Palace. They have also drawn with Norwich City, Everton, and Wolves.
In those seven games, they have scored just four goals, conceded 11, and taken six points from a possible 21. They have been left 14th in the league, seven points clear of the drop zone.
Nevertheless, Caulkin thinks that the club have the ability to remain in the top-flight.
He said in an Athletic Q&A: “My gut feeling is that Newcastle will be okay, but I’m basing that on the number of mediocre teams below them and the cushion they have rather than any real optimism.
“Performances have consistently been terrible all season (in terms of how difficult they are to watch) and now results are keeping pace with them. And they’re perfectly capable of losing 5-6 games in a row.
“Is any other Premier League squad as unbalanced as theirs? The lack of a fit, functioning centre-half is criminal, as is the failure to address their obvious weaknesses in January.
“I think the next couple of games will be pivotal. Steve Bruce will change things in terms of style / formation - I don’t have much doubt about that - but will it be enough? And even if they do survive, the big question has to be about what happens next.”
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Tough run-in
Newcastle face both Liverpool and Manchester City before the end of the season and also play a number of their supposed relegation rivals.
Before the end of the season, Steve Bruce’s side play West Ham United, Watford, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Brighton, who all finished the weekend in the bottom six.
It is key that Newcastle win at least two of those games, then, if they are to climb away from trouble.
But they have won just eight times this season and are yet to string together more than two wins in a row, which they've only done on two occasions.
They need to pick their form up if they are to have any hope, and a run of defeats could easily see them slip into the drop zone.
It is crunch time for Bruce's men.
Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce has been told to start playing one man!