It was only two months ago that Pep Guardiola raised more than few eyebrows by naming Newcastle United as a Premier League title contender. The Manchester City boss claimed as many as six rivals could deny the defending champions a fifth title in six seasons.
Eddie Howe's side had already played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with City at St James' Park in August, and were sat fourth following three straight wins. Newcastle were seen by many to be overachieving in the early stages of the campaign, but Guardiola could not hide his admiration for the Magpies when declaring the new challenger to the so-called 'Big Six' were here to stay.
Explaining his selection, the City boss told reporters: “Because they have incredible physicality to the way they play and they are playing one game a week, they are not playing in Europe and when this happens that’s a big advantage when you arrive in the last months with energy. They have incredible energy and imagine how they are after one week.
