Newcastle United

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Journalist Matty Hewitt believes Manchester City's January spending "shows the struggles" Newcastle are facing against their top four rivals.

City invested over £200m in players over the window where PSR restrictions limited the Magpies.

"The one thing with Newcastle - and I think Eddie Howe summed it up perfectly at the weekend - is that the highs are so high and the lows are so low," Hewitt told the Total Sport: Newcastle United podcast.

"You just have to take a look at the games they lost - Bournemouth, Forest, Man City - where Newcastle were in the league you would look at those games as ones they could win.

"Bournemouth absolutely blew them apart, that was the most disappointing of the three.

"Every trip to the Etihad over the last few seasons has been one you want to forget.

"The way City were able to reinvest £200m into their squad over the January transfer window and Newcastle were not able to bring in anyone again shows the struggles that they're having against top four rivals.

"Strength and depth wise with City there is still levels to this.

"Joelinton is a massive miss in that midfield area. Prior to the game I watched City and Real Madrid and I didn't think they were great and they haven't been great this season.

"But, it just goes to show what happens when you can invest in the squad like that. Howe hasn't been able to do that. It's not just about spending all this cash, it's having the luxury to do that and keep competition for places.

"He's lost Almrion on the right hand side - whatever your opinion was of him it's still a body and competition. To not be able to replace him means he's just lost a body. "

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Liverpool are prepared to offer 25-year-old forward Darwin Nunez plus cash in exchange for Newcastle United's £100m-plus rated forward Alexander Isak, who has scored 17 Premier League goals this season. (Football Insider), external

However, the Magpies will not allow their best players to leave if they miss out on qualifying for next season's Champions League. (Daily Mail), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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We asked for your views on Newcastle United's up and down form, after our fan writer described the "constant oscillation between good or great performances and poor performances" this season.

Here are a handful of your thoughts:

David: There are several things here. Firstly, the squad is too small, particularly the number of players competing for first team starting places. The players know they are going to start each week. Secondly, there is limited ability to freshen up the team with newly-bought players. We've not bought players for three transfer windows. Then Eddie Howe sticks with his favoured starting XI, meaning some players are never dropped even after a few poor games. Finally, our eyes are on the Carabao Cup.

Lewis: I didn't think it was just Newcastle. Every team has been up and down, except Liverpool.

Stevo: Sport, and football in particular, is unpredictable. Some games you win, some games you lose. Newcastle United have always been inconsistent, but recently we have been much more competitive and much more entertaining. We have an excellent manager and we should be a lot more appreciative for the progress we have made.

Constantinos: Not big enough first team players and no competition for their position - that's why we see a very inconsistent performance every week. The new rules only benefit the big six teams in this league.

Charlotte Robson
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

I'm getting a bit tired of this, if I'm honest. Not writing this fan column, obviously. Don't panic. What I'm getting tired of is the constant oscillation between good or great performances by Newcastle United and poor performances, after which I wonder who in this club really wants to be here. Whiplash!

Are we good? Are we terrible? Do we have one eye on the Carabao Cup? I hope not, because that game is a month away and the Premier League is not taking a pause on fixtures so that we can think about it.

It was strange as a fan to see players so disengaged at Manchester City when about 10 days before they were comfortably getting under Arsenal's skin and advancing us to a cup final.

I know we are not the only team in the league with inconsistent form but what is important to remember is that I only care about Newcastle United and us doing well.

The seemingly selective passivity of this Newcastle side is a hard thing to stomach. One can point to Manchester City's ability to strengthen in the January window, personified by Omar Marmoush scoring a hat-trick against us, as a reason that Saturday did not go our way.

It is true we have not brought in a first-team player in three windows and that Eddie Howe should (and probably does) feel hard done by in that respect, but Manchester City's ability to buy is not why we lost to Fulham, Bournemouth or West Ham this season.

I appreciate players like Bruno Guimaraes coming out and saying that it was not good enough - but nobody is telling me why. Why did we put in almost no tackles? Why did we allow so much space and deference to our opponents?

There are many questions, yet again, as we go into Sunday's game against Nottingham Forest at home. Based on this season, that match will be an 8-0 win for Newcastle and I will be writing jubilantly next week.

Like I said: whiplash!

Find more from Charlotte Robson at the True Faith: Newcastle United Podcast, external

Why is Newcastle's form up and down? Tell us here

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Manchester City and Newcastle.

Here are some of your comments:

Man City fans:

John: Great performance from the boys, and what a signing Omar Marmoush is. At last, someone to help out Erling Haaland up front. Pep Guardiola's signings are usually slow starters but this lad has hit the ground running. I'm not sure it will be as easy against Real Madrid though.

Brian: Wonderful and enjoyable. For the first time in three months we played as a team. Great January transfer business is delivering dividends. Marmoush is a class act if he can find space and ball. Savinho is on fire and Nico Gonzalez is proving to be the midfield general we needed. The confidence is high and this win will add thirst for more. A new set of players are bonding and if we adopt the same approach against Real Madrid, we are most certainly good for a few goals. This was a good day at the office.

Dave: What we witnessed was a sneak preview of what is to come. A few more additions in the summer and I think City will be purring again. To all the Pep doubters... keep watching.

Pat: We made Newcastle look like a mediocre team. So many outstanding performances but I felt John Stones and Gonzalez truly stood out and completely controlled Alexander Isak. Up front, Marmoush and Savinho were superb and had the Newcastle defence chasing shadows.

Newcastle fans:

Duncan: Alan Shearer called out the Newcastle players a few weeks ago about them only trying in the big games. Well they obviously listened because they don't turn up for them now. Newcastle looked like it was them who were riddled with injuries and played against Real Madrid last Wednesday. That performance was as bad as the half-time entertainment shown during the Super Bowl! If the 'one eye on the final' excuse is used then they need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and question their professionalism. The away supporters should be compensated fully for that performance. Disgraceful.

Richard: Brighton, Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham, West Ham and now City. Games where we just don't turn up. We don't even offer a glimmer of resistance. And they just keep happening. It's worrying. Eddie Howe needs to identify the factors that are causing these performances and sort them out. Displays like this are ruining our season.

Andy: Woeful display. We never seem to make any impact in games unless we come out flying from the start. Looks like our European dreams died on Saturday.

Tom: Abysmal performance from Newcastle United. The players need to forget about Wembley and concentrate on the here and now. To get anything from here all the players had to be at their best. Unfortunately, none of them were. However, all is not lost. Beat Nottingham Forest next week and we'll be right back in it. One positive was the performance of Lewis Miley. Excellent again when he came on.

Newcastle would be willing to let Alexander Isak leave for £83.3m (100m euros) this summer if they fail to qualify for the Champions League, with Barcelona, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea among those keen on the striker. (Sport - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Brighton and Chelsea.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 4-0 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton

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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been speaking to Premier League Productions after today's loss: "It was a tough game, they are still the toughest team to play against. We were not at our best today.

"Goals change games, and the goal we concede early was a tough one for us. All the goals we conceded today we will look back on with frustration. It becomes difficult when you chase the game today, really tough.

"They ask so many questions of you, put you under pressure. They did not have a bundle of chances but they did what they needed to do.

"It's about growing for the next games and learning from today. When you come back into these arenas, fare better, that's the challenge."

Hear more from Howe on BBC Sounds

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Man City's performance

What did you make of Newcastle's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Leicester City v Arsenal (12:30)

• Aston Villa v Ipswich Town

• Fulham v Nottingham Forest

• Man City v Newcastle - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary

• Southampton v Bournemouth

• West Ham v Brentford

• Crystal Palace v Everton (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here.

I am at this game for BBC Radio 5 live and there is no way Manchester City are keeping a clean sheet.

In fact, until I realised just how bad Newcastle's record is at the Etihad, I was thinking of backing Eddie Howe's side to win.

City have won the past 10 league games between the two sides here, and my old Blackburn strike partner Alan Shearer got the winner the last time Newcastle took the points at City - in September 2000 at their old Maine Road ground.

That all points to a City win for me, far more than their current form does anyway.

Let's face it, form does not really help me much anyway at the moment. Who could have seen Newcastle losing at home to Fulham in their last league game?

So I may as well say a hoodoo like this one will continue and City will get over the line, even if Newcastle do definitely have a goal or two in them.

I don't think it will make much difference who City start in goal, because Ederson and Stefan Ortega have both made mistakes this season, but it is going to be interesting to see who Pep Guardiola picks with the second leg of their Champions League tie with Real Madrid coming up next week.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Newcastle United Foundation chief executive Steve Beharall joins the latest episode of BBC Radio Newcastle's podcast to talk about the impact of the charity and the academy's future - plus why you should never doubt Magpies boss Eddie Howe on the road to Wembley.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Eddie Howe says Manchester City are still setting "the benchmark" in the Premier League, despite recording 12 defeats in their past 24 games.

The Newcastle boss believes his team will need to produce "their best performance" in order to take points from their trip to Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

"I don't think you can necessarily look at their form over that period of time," Howe said. "I think you have to look at it over a much longer period of time.

"They have been sensational for so many seasons, which is so difficult to do at this level because of the standard of the other teams.

"You never know what is going to happen when you go to any stadium in the Premier League now, so I think that is producing something very interesting this year - but Manchester City are a good team.

"Statistically, they have been very strong at home. They are still the benchmark for me and we will have to produce our best performance to try to get something from this match."

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, we asked you to name the former Newcastle manager from a series of clues.

The answer was Sir Bobby Robson, who was in charge between 1999 and 2004.

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Manchester City (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Anthony Gordon is back in contention after "responding well to treatment" on his thigh injury. He has trained well this week without any problems.

• There is "good news" on Sven Botman, who had a scan on the injury he picked up in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal: "We don't think there is any long-term issue there, but short-term there is still a bit of pain." He will most likely be unavailable this weekend.

• He also provided an update on Dan Burn, who had to be substituted off last time out: "The initial look on Dan wasn't positive, but the scan was good. He has improved a lot very quickly this week, so he will be very close to being back this weekend."

• Emil Krafth could have a part to play in the coming weeks, as the Magpies manage their injury concerns, and Howe described the defender as a "reliable and dependable" member of his squad.

• This is the first of three Premier League games against teams that are sitting above them in the table, but he believes it will be "a pivotal and very defining few weeks" in the Magpies' season.

• He watched Manchester City's Champions League play-off first leg against Real Madrid earlier this week and thought they looked "very close to being back to their best".

• On Pep Guardiola's side, he added: "They are still a very good team. Statistically, they have been very strong at home. They are still the benchmark for me and we will have to produce our best performance to try to get something from the match."

• However, Newcastle will be chasing their seventh consecutive away win and Howe believes their strong away form has been "important" for "building good character in the group" this season.

• They will aim to get Alexander Isak into the game as much as possible, to counteract Erling Haaland's threat: "We need to provide the foundation to allow him to perform at his best level. In these types of games, he probably isn't going to get loads of chances but we need to try and get him in the right areas."

• He believes Joe Willock has responded "really well" to the racist abuse he recently received on social media: "He was very calm and measured in his response. I don't think we saw a very emotive response, which I think is the best way to handle these things. He showed his maturity. He has already been through a lot in his career."

• Finally, Joelinton should be "back fit and available" in time for the Carabao Cup final on 16 March. He is making "great progress" and he is "very positive and driven" to get back on the pitch.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Full commentary of Manchester City v Newcastle from 15:00 GMT on Saturday on BBC Radio 5 Live

Name this former Newcastle manager from the following clues:

• I managed my country before my spell in charge of Newcastle;

• The Magpies twice finished in the Premier League's top four while I was manager;

• There is a statue of me outside St James' Park.

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 GMT

Newcastle United and Sweden striker Alexander Isak is very interested in a move to Liverpool. (Teamtalk), external

Isak is also among the players Arsenal are planning to move for in the summer transfer window. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Tottenham are all interested in signing 24-year-old Brazilian winger Igor Paixao from Feyenoord. (Sun), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Manchester City have lost just one of their past 34 Premier League games against Newcastle (W27 D6), a 2-1 defeat in January 2019.

City have also won their past 15 Premier League home games against Newcastle – only three teams have had longer such winning runs against an opponent in English top-flight history: Everton against Fulham (22 from 1961 to 2018), Aston Villa against Sheffield United (16 from 1903 to 1921) and Manchester United against Luton (16 from 1955 to 2023, still ongoing).

However, Newcastle United have won each of their past four Premier League games on the road. Not since October 1994 have they won five in succession away from home, the only previous time they have done so in the competition.

Newcastle United didn't intend to let 26-year-old defender Lloyd Kelly leave the club during the January window but found Juventus' offer of a loan plus a £20m purchase obligation too good to refuse. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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