Graeme Souness issues warning to Liverpool and Chelsea over up-and-coming Newcastle side
Newcastle United under Eddie Howe are doing fantastically well in the Premier League this season. Presently, they lead Liverpool in the table, and Howe’s men are in fourth compared to the Reds’ eighth.
Under the new manager and new owners, Newcastle are doing fairly well in the PL in the opening gameweeks and it is good to see an old superpower starting to reclaim its place. However, it is not exactly great news for Liverpool, who co-incidentally beat Newcastle in the league earlier this season.
Backed by their Saudi Arabian-based owners, the Magpies certainly have the aim to dislodge the ‘big six’ as it currently exists and there are a few teams in danger of being usurped by them in the long run.
They can also pose a problem in the short run, as they showed against Tottenham Hotspur in their latest 2-1 win at N17. They were without the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Alexander Isak but still beat Antonio Conte’s side to move to fourth in the table with 21 points from 12 games.
The Reds, meanwhile, are in seventh with 16 points from 11 Premier League matches while Chelsea are on the same points as the Magpies, having played one game more.
Former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness, while speaking on talkSPORT (h/t Chronicle Live), warned the Reds and Chelsea about the Toons and said:
“The normal order is changing… and you have to say that Liverpool are in danger, you have to say maybe Chelsea are in danger so there is an opening there for Newcastle.
“The teams I’m watching right now, and you can’t guarantee it, but I fancy Newcastle in terms of performances and attitude. They don’t suffer a load of injuries either and they could easily end up in the top four.”
Can Liverpool make the top four?
The main problem for Liverpool is not the Toons’ form. The fact that they seem to be on a resurgence of sorts is colliding with the Reds’ bad run of games in the league. Therefore, it is not wise to look at them as rivals instead, focusing on your own game would be the ideal situation for Jurgen Klopp‘s men.
The Reds have multiple problems at once which include inconsistent performances and the threat of injury which always seems to loom over the Merseysiders. If the players manage to keep themselves fit and perform on a consistently good level for a major chunk of the season left, there is absolutely no reason why Liverpool can’t make the top four.
But presently, things do not seem exactly ideal and hence, the Reds should focus on getting the basics right and at the same time, try not to give away the game as they did against Nottingham Forest.
More Liverpool News
- Liverpool stars Darwin Nunez and Thiago Alcantara unavailable for Nottingham Forest trip
- Liverpool gaffer Jurgen Klopp lauds the adaptability of Joe Gomez
- Jurgen Klopp says that Liverpool still have a lot of ambitions this season
After a disappointing game against Nottingham, Liverpool next play Ajax in the UEFA Champions League followed by Leeds United, Napoli and Tottenham within a week’s time. The season is headed towards a crucial juncture and it is extremely important to get results.
