This feels pivotal for Newcastle United – A massive moment | OneFootball

This feels to me like a big moment for Newcastle United.

A pivotal occasion, that could play a significant part in deciding which direction we now go in AND how fast.

It takes me back to a match almost exactly two years ago…

On 12 November 2022, Newcastle United about to head into an international break.

That was a season when the Premier League schedule was very much front-loaded, due to the Qatar World Cup happening mid-season.

Instead of ten Premier League games played as is the case at the moment, two years ago Newcastle United had played 14 PL matches.

A bit of an indifferent start to that 2022/23 season had seen Newcastle United win only one of their opening seven PL games. The performances had been generally very decent, including a home draw against Man City, but the fine margins and luck not going Newcastle’s way. With only eight points from the first seven PL matches, some dafties were even questioning Eddie Howe’s position.

However, after that single win (coincidentally a 2-0 over Nottingham Forest on the opening day) in seven, Eddie Howe’s side finally began to get the results their general play had deserved. Indeed, the next seven PL matches brought six wins and a draw.

This saw Newcastle United head into their fifteen PL match of the season in third place in the Premier League.

With things tight at the top though AND with Newcastle United up against what most people were thinking would be one of NUFC’s biggest threats to staying up in the top four, the home game against Chelsea felt huge on 12 November 2024.

A big marker in the sand, as it was a real six-pointer, if Chelsea won compared to a Newcastle victory.

The rest as they say is history. Eddie Howe’s side played really well and Chelsea never allowed to threaten at all pretty much, whilst United created at the other end and eventually secured the win thanks to a brilliant Joe Willock top corner finish.

That was an extended November international break as well of course, so even more important, as that 1-0 win over Chelsea guaranteed Newcastle United would be third for at least the next six weeks.

There is no World Cup of course kicking off this month and we are only ten games into this Premier League season, but I think this game against Nottingham Forest has great parallels with that Chelsea match two years ago.

This is how the Premier League table looks this Sunday (10 November 2024) morning:

I think that as time has gone on, this is a season that is increasingly looking like it could be full of surprises and opportunities.

Whilst I am saying this could be a massive pivotal day for Newcastle United if getting the win, I have no doubt that Nottingham Forest and their fans will be thinking about this even more for themselves. A win for Forest and if Chelsea v Arsenal is a draw, Forest will spend the next couple of weeks in third, a point behind Man City and at least three points ahead of the 17 teams below.

I don’t think a point would be the worst result today for Newcastle United BUT I think if they can follow up the wins over Chelsea and Arsenal with another one, that could/would be a pivotal moment of the season we could look back on.

As you can see above, it is all so tight, only four points separate third-placed Forest and Newcastle United in twelfth. If Newcastle win and close to within a point of Forest, heading into this international break, I think it is game on then for Eddie Howe and his players.

You look at the match schedule (see below) that follows and things could really open up for Newcastle United.

If Newcastle can win against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Forest, why not against the likes of Ipswich, West Ham, Palace, Brentford and Leicester?

A win over Forest and with the likes of Wilson and Trippier expected back after the international break, Sven Botman also expected to start light training in the near future, maybe, just maybe, this could prove a real season of opportunity for Newcastle United after a not totally convincing start to the season with results, just like 2022/23…

Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:

Sunday 10 November – Forest v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Monday 25 November – Newcastle v West Ham (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 30 November – Crystal Palace v Newcastle (3pm)

Wednesday 4 December – Newcastle v Liverpool (7.30pm) Amazon

Saturday 7 December – Brentford v Newcastle (3pm)

Saturday 14 December – Newcastle v Leicester (3pm)

Wednesday 18 December – Newcastle v Brentford (7.45pm) Sky Sports+ (Carabao Cup)

Saturday 21 December – Ipswich v Newcastle (3pm)

Thursday 26 December – Newcastle v Villa (3pm) Amazon

Monday 30 December – Man U v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 4 January – Tottenham v Newcastle (12.30pm) TNT Sports

Wednesday 15 January – Newcastle v Wolves (7.30pm) TNT Sports

Saturday 18 January – Newcastle v Bournemouth (12.30pm) TNT Sports