It’s taking a long while for Newcastle United to find their feet back in the Premier League but a significant corner has been turned in recent weeks, with the Magpies pushing themselves away from the relegation battle.
Although safety is not yet mathematically secure, Rafael Benitez’s side are expected to seal their top-flight status in the coming weeks after adjusting to the ‘fight’ of the Premier League.
Scottish international Matt Ritchie has described the changes the players have had to endure since their promotion from the Championship, where he described the fierce nature of England’s top-flight to The Shields Gazette.
“Outside the top six, I think there’s four or five clubs you look at and think they’ve got too much to go down, but for the rest, it’s a fight. You have to win the fight before you start to play.”
“I think the Southampton game (which Newcastle won 3-0) was a good team performance. We pressed, we were energetic and we sort of won the battle and then in the latter stages of the game you saw that we could play as well.”
“It’s a tough, tough league, as everyone knows. It’s the best league in the world. It’s that for a reason, and it’s not going to be easy.”
Newcastle travel to face Leicester City this weekend before hosting Arsenal, then completing the season with ties against Everton, West Brom, Watford and Tottenham Hotspur.
