Football Season Guide

Following a historic 2022/23 season, Newcastle secured a return to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years by clinching fourth spot. The Magpies were extremely solid at the back, securing 14 clean sheets and boasting the joint-best defence along with champions Manchester City, with the two teams conceding 33 goals apiece. Talented winger Allan Saint-Maximin left to Al-Ahli, but Newcastle have replaced him with highly-rated Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes. The Englishman is expected to be an undisputed starter along with the club's record signing, Sandro Tonali, who joined from AC Milan. Otherwise, Eddie Howe managed to keep an extremely solid spine intact ahead of a season where they will be called to compete in league and Europe. Tonali will feature as a holding midfielder alongside Joelinton, who provides energy and attacking impetus, and Bruno Guimaraes, who operates as a box-to-box player in Howe’s 4-3-3 formation. Newcastle’s defence is undoubtedly their main strength. Only David De Gea and Alisson kept more clean sheets than an extraordinary Nick Pope, while no Premier League team conceded fewer goals than the Magpies last term. Yet, at times they lacked a finishing touch in the final third, as they produced the second-most shots in the box, but they only had the fifth-best attack in the league, as neither Callum Wilson nor Alexander Isak are prolific scorers.