November 05, (THEWILL) – Pep Guardiola has admitted that Newcastle poses a threat to his team’s quest for a third consecutive English Premier League title.
In their first 12 EPL games this season, the defending champions of the Premiership have only lost once, to last season’s title rivals Liverpool, and they have already scored an incredible 37 goals, seven more than table-topping Arsenal. Erling Haaland has scored 17 of these goals, adjusting to life in the EPL like he has been in England for years.
Newcastle, led by Eddie Howe, has only lost once and is now in the top four after racking up 16 out of a possible 18 points in October. Improved finishing, especially from Miguel Almiron, and newfound defensive solidity have made them difficult to beat.
Ahead of City facing Fulham, Guardiola had nothing but admiration for how Newcastle have improved and their chances of challenging for the title. He said: “Newcastle have a good manager and top-class players. I imagine they are going to stay there for a long time.
“They have physicality in the middle, box-to-box transitions and their intensity without the ball is impressive. Also, they are not playing in Europe, which is a big advantage because when you arrive in the last months you have energy.”
