Federico Fernandez has admitted that he could 'feel' when Newcastle United's opponents were unable to handle the 'pressure' of playing at St James' Park.
The chance to run out at the stadium most weeks was one of the main reasons why Fernandez jumped at the chance to reunite with former Napoli boss Rafa Benitez and move to Newcastle in 2018. In fact, following one particular visit to St James' with Swansea City, Fernandez thought 'maybe one day I want to play for them'.
Fernandez went on to spend four years at Newcastle and the Argentine enjoyed some memorable moments at St James' along the way, including scoring a last-minute winner against Southampton in 2019. The stadium has since become a real fortress under Eddie Howe and, remarkably, Newcastle have only lost one Premier League game at home in 2022. That was against Liverpool, who were chasing a quadruple at the time.
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The atmosphere has certainly left its mark on the club's owners and Mehrdad Ghodoussi previously likened building a new stadium to 'tearing your soul out'. Rather than moving away, the hierarchy plan to exhaust every avenue to one day expand St James' and Fernandez's own personal experience gives you an idea why.
"It's a special place. A great stadium. Full," the centre-back told ChronicleLive. "You can feel the energy. You can even feel when your opponent in the first 15, 20 minutes can't manage the pressure of the fans as well.
"It's something that's an extra boost. It's a fantastic place to play football. Every time is special. You see your family over there at the top of the stand. It was an absolutely great experience."
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