Even though Newcastle United were going into a tough run of fixtures – which included the teams like Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea – Newcastle have been able to maintain their strong run of form, and keep their position in the top four.
Even though they lost their unbeaten record against Manchester City, they did extremely well against Man Utd to come away with a draw. Whilst the penalty that led to the equaliser was highly disputable, Newcastle United midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa believes that there should be no reason why Newcastle shouldn’t challenge for the title. This comes as quite strong statement because Newcastle United were only promoted last season!
The Premier League has been won by just four clubs since its inception in 1992. Even though there may be a case for a change at the top of the helm, it is nothing but extremely tough to see Newcastle United going even close to winning the title. The 1-1 draw with Man Utd may have given them a great deal of confidence, but they need to be winning regularly right up until the end of the season.
Speaking after the win against Manchester United, Hatem Ben Arfa said “I think that if we gain in confidence, we can go far, and why not challenge for the title? I think the only thing that makes a difference is confidence. We really have great footballers here now, and if we carry on like this, then we can do something.”
Having completed almost a third of the campaign, Newcastle United are nine points behind leaders Manchester City.