Newcastle United head to Sheffield United on Sunday in search of three points that will catapult them up the Premier League standings.
Eddie Howe’s team has been disappointing for much of the 2023/24 season, but a win against Brentford and a midweek Champions League draw against AC Milan will have given Eddie Howe confidence that when his men need to dig in and earn a result, they’re perfectly capable of doing so.
They’ll also need a good effort at Bramall Lane because their six points from five games now put them in 12th place, nine points behind leaders Manchester City.
Sandro Tonali is one player who, given enough time, has the potential to be a game changer for them.
Eddie Howe, the Italian’s manager, recently defended him in a press conference, and transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano believes the Magpies boss is justified.
‘Sandro Tonali is an excellent midfielder and a consummate professional. I agree with Eddie Howe: Newcastle supporters must be patient with him. He’s only 23 years old, living in a new city, starting a new life in a new nation… It is now in a different league,’ he said in his CaughtOffside Substack.
‘Tonali has tremendous abilities, and he only needs to adapt to his new surroundings and a different style of game and he’ll perform. I’m certain of it; he’s a fantastic player.’
The Toon Army’s expectations will have skyrocketed after last season’s relative success, and perhaps the start they’ve already had has tempered those expectations a little, which is a good thing.
It may actually buy Howe and his coaching staff some time to focus on the areas of the team that require the most development.
In any case, five games into a season isn’t the time to be concerned, and the assumption within the club will undoubtedly be that with five games remaining in the season, Newcastle will be in a far better position.