Talk Of The Tyne Blogs

Newcastle United: Reaching New Heights

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If Newcastle concede from a corner next season, at any point, something has gone drastically wrong.

With Sven Botman said to be in England today to complete his medical, we could be in for a happy Monday with the announcement of our main summer target.

Standing at 6’4″, Botman could line up in front of 6’6″ Nick Pope and alongside 6’7″ Dan Burn. That’s a colossal defence and you’d like to think that any ball put into the box in the air by opposition players will be nothing but a futile effort on their part.

Obviously, that’s not really how football works, but it is definitely encouraging that Newcastle will have one of, if not the biggest defence in the league, and it’s not just height, but real quality too.

For as long as I’ve supported Newcastle (since the 80’s) we’ve never been known for our defensive prowess. Rafa Benitez did manage to steady the ship somewhat, but even he couldn’t work miracles. Eddie Howe might just be the man to shore up Newcastle’s infamously shaky backline allowing the Magpies to be solid enough at the back that they can afford to be more adventurous up top, more risky forward passes, more shots from outside of the area, and music to Saint-Maximin’s ears, more dribbles around defenders. Safe in the knowledge that if there’s a turnover in possession, the man-mountains at the back have it covered, helped by Trippier and Targett who aren’t strangers to a well-timed tackle or two.

If you’d have told teenage me that one day I’ll be gushing about Newcastle’s defence, I’d probably only have stopped laughing in 2019. Next season is going to be so interesting.

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Life-long Newcastle United sufferer and avid writer of words combining two passions into this site.

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