While few Newcastle United fans would have been overly happy had they been offered their current league position at the start of the season – firmly in mid-table and a point behind Sunderland – there is also a strong sense that this is a team which only needs a little work in January to challenge for the top four.
After all, injuries have been a major problem since the summer. Yoane Wissa has only just started getting minutes after months on the sidelines, and the defence has been ravaged by fitness issues. When at full strength, Newcastle appear to have one of the toughest back fours in the top flight, and that means that the health of the defence for the second half of the season could make all the difference between whether Newcastle get another year in the Champions League or not.
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