The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has made clear that despite all the injuries and issues faced by Newcastle United this season, it should be remembered that they still competing on all fronts and have done well to do so.
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00:00 Despite all the injuries and issues this season, Newcastle are still competing on all fronts.
00:07 So I asked Chris how he rated the campaign.
00:10 I'd probably mark it about an 8 out of 10.
00:13 I think that there have been some challenges and obviously there was a bit of a difficult start,
00:17 but they recovered very well and until maybe a fortnight ago I think you'd have marked them even higher.
00:22 But injuries and the squad being stretched following Sandro Tonali's suspension, which has made things even worse,
00:31 has meant that things have caught up on Newcastle a little bit.
00:34 And suddenly, I mean they are in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals,
00:37 despite having largely put out a second-string side in that competition,
00:41 so they still have the opportunity to go for silverware.
00:45 They are still in the Champions League, albeit their position is now very, very difficult
00:49 and they're probably going to have to claim at least four points, if not six.
00:52 And they are still only two wins outside of the top four in the Premier League.
00:57 So taking all things into consideration, given how difficult it's been in terms of the challenges Newcastle have faced,
01:04 the quality of opposition they face in every single competition they've been in,
01:08 and also the learning curve that they are on, both Eddie Howe and most of the players,
01:13 in terms of juggling all these matches, I think that it's been a pretty good start.
01:18 Some have criticised Newcastle this season, so I wanted to know whether this is justified.
01:24 It was always going to be a difficult season, and Eddie Howe himself has repeatedly said that publicly,
01:29 but I still think that people are allowed to critique what Newcastle have shown and tried to display so far this season.
01:37 The players and the coaching staff have very high standards for themselves,
01:40 and Eddie Howe came out after the Bournemouth game and said that basically no facet of their performance at Bournemouth
01:45 reflected what he has come to expect from his Newcastle United side.
01:49 So he is, to a degree, being self-critical, while also acknowledging the mitigating factor.
01:54 So I certainly don't think that people should condemn what Newcastle have done so far this season.
01:59 They are challenging on so many fronts. They have a very, very stretched squad.
02:04 Given the injury list, I asked Chris whether Newcastle would be active in the January transfer window.
02:10 I do expect Newcastle to be active in January. They are still internally deciding exactly what they are going to do.
02:17 That's partly because they are looking to see what the injury situation is.
02:21 The obvious area where they need to strengthen, given the fact that Sandro Tonali can't play again this season, is midfield.
02:27 That was their priority going into summer. Ideally, they wanted two midfielders.
02:30 They signed one, and he is now suspended for the remainder of the season.
02:33 But they also have injuries and are stretched elsewhere.
02:36 They may consider trying to get a forward in. There is obviously centre-back as another position they like as well.
02:41 They are going to have constraints when it comes to FFP.
02:44 Whether they progress out of the Champions League group stage may determine exactly what they can do in January,
02:50 in terms of potential permanent signings. But I do think, at the very least, they will be active.
02:56 Newcastle United return to action at home to Chelsea on the 25th of the month, hoping to return to winning ways.