Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Newcastle would have been hoping that they would still have Premier League survival at stake this Afternoon but after events on Wednesday at The Stadium of Light unfortunately for them that isn’t the case. With the status set to relegated they play host to a Tottenham side that need a point to secure 2nd place and a highest ever Premier League era finish.
Now that Newcastle have been relegated the question that has been asked constantly since Thursday is whether or not Rafa Benitez will be sticking around for life in The Championship. It seems as if no-one knows the answer yet perhaps not even Rafa himself but if this is his last game then he is certainly going to want to end his short tenure on a high.
It seems as if time was the one thing that Benitez really needed while in charge of Newcastle. They may be unbeaten in 5 matches and there are signs of improvement since he has taken charge but you wonder if he was to have taken charge earlier in the season and also had a transfer window to bring in his own players then they wouldn’t be in the situation in which they have found themselves.
That unbeaten run gave them hope but a draw away at Aston Villa last Saturday was the definite nail in the coffin for Newcastle’s season. It may be harsh but after only picking up a point there you sort of thought yourself that they deserve to go down on the basis of that performance alone.
Today they play host to a Tottenham side that are in somewhat of a mini slump and their performances as of late have certainly been uncharacteristic compared to the rest of the season. It’s now 3 games without a win and in each game they have taken the lead and then conspired to throw away their advantage. It’s only 2 points from 9 and when 2nd place looked nailed on they still have some work to do going into the final day
Last time out they were beaten at home to Southampton. Not a good result for Mauricio Pochettino as he lost to his former employers but he got his own good result in the week as he signed a new 5 year contract. Could that be a timely boost for his side to get them out of this mental blip.
Although the disappointment of missing out on a Premier League title will have not aided performances as of late they certainly haven’t been helped with both Dele Alli and Mousa Demble being out through suspension. It’s fair to say that Tottenham aren’t quite the threat in Midfield with those two missing.
Harry Kane will look to secure the Golden Boot later this Afternoon. He currently leads England colleague Jamie Vardy by 25 goals to 24. With Vardy in decent form as of late you would imagine Kane is going to have to score Today to make sure he wins the boot outright and get some bragging rights for when they meet up on England duty
Andros Townsend will no doubt be up for Today, his own place on the plane isn’t quite assured and what better way to try and secure that then getting one over the club that sold you in January. Will Townsend still be on Tyneside next Summer or will his stay in the North East be a short one
That’s a question for another day but for matters on the pitch. I think Newcastle are going to want to end on some sort of high especially if it is Benitez’s last game in charge. Spurs aren’t quite the feared side they have shown to be this season with that weakened Midfield. I’ll go for a draw but it’s enough for Mauricio Pochettino’s side to finish 2nd this season.
Papa Johns – If your team scores twice then it’s half price
