Five months ago, Newcastle United were on their way to becoming the richest club in the Championship. A 4-0 hiding on home soil to Manchester City could have easily been another nail hammered into the Magpies’ relegation coffin.
Instead, it proved the catalyst for a nine-game unbeaten run that spearheaded their surge for survival. Defeat to the champions at St James’ Park left United three points adrift despite playing two games more than 17th-placed Watford. Newcastle were limping towards the January transfer window - seen by many as the club’s last throw of the dice.
Of those who started that day, just four outfield players - Jamaal Lascelles, Miguel Almiron, Joe Willock and Joelinton - made the line-up against Liverpool last weekend. Astonishingly, two of the three players Eddie Howe axed from his 25-man squad one month after the City defeat started that day.
READ MORE: Howe hints at Newcastle's summer transfer policy
Ciaran Clark and Isaac Hayden are no longer first-team regulars and their Newcastle days appear numbered. Wingers Matt Ritchie and Jacob Murphy played at full-back in a four-man defence - exposing the Magpies against world-class opposition. The arrival of Matt Targett and Kieran Trippier now gives United pedigree in that department.
Defeat meant Howe had won just once in his first seven outings as Toon boss as relegation fears heightened. However, the drastic U-turn in form that followed makes Newcastle incomparable to the side they were last winter. The former Bournemouth boss combined January additions with well-coached players to create a potent survival mix that propelled Newcastle up the table.
Allowing Howe to further implement his philosophy in pre-season should make the Magpies a formidable proposition next season. His preferred 4-3-3 formation - an unearthed discovery back in December - has given Newcastle the foundation to recruit wisely in the transfer market by pinpointing players who fit system.
Newcastle XI v Man City on December 19
Dubravka; Murphy, Lascelles, Clark, Ritchie; Almiron; Willock; Hayden, Joelinton, Fraser; Wilson
Newcastle XI v Liverpool last weekend
Dubravka; Krafth, Lascelles, Burn, Target; Shelvey, Guimaraes, Willock; Joelinton, Almiron, Saint-Maximin
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