'Alexander Isak is in red-hot form' - but are Newcastle United in Premier League title race?
2025-01-16
Category: sports

Life could hardly be much better for Newcastle fans right now.The Magpies are on a club record-equalling nine-match winning run in all  competitions, they have one of the hottest strikers in world football at their disposal in Alexander Isak, and they are back in the top four of the Premier League for the first time since September.In-form Isak became the first Newcastle player to score in eight successive Premier League games in Wednesday's comfortable win over Wolves, netting either side of half-time before teeing up Anthony Gordon for the Magpies' third of the night.Their latest triumph lifts Eddie Howe's side three points above champions Manchester City and nine behind Premier League leaders Liverpool - albeit having played a game more.And when asked if Newcastle were now in the Premier League title race, former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer was adamant they were."No, it's not,"  Shearer told Match of the Day when asked if the Reds' advantage was insurmountable. "The form that they [Newcastle] are in, the way they are looking - they are defensively solid, keeping clean sheets. There is no doubt that they have got the system working."And with [Alexander Isak] up front, you've got a chance."So, could Newcastle realistically challenge for the title? No one is in better form than Howeâs side and history shows it can be done.Arsenal have overcome the biggest points gap to win the Premier League title, in 1997-98. At the end of December they were 13 points behind Manchester United, albeit with a game in hand.Manchester United overcame 12-point deficits in 1992-93 and 1995-96. The latter was after 23 games, but they went on to finish four points ahead of Newcastle.The Red Devils have also overcome a 10-point gap on three occasions, while Manchester City did the same to Liverpool in 2018-19 by winning 18 of their last 19 games.Having said all that, it would take a dramatic slip up in form from Liverpool for Newcastle to overhaul them, with data experts Opta giving the Magpies just a 0.1% chance of winning the league."Newcastle keep getting better and better," former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told TNT Sports. "They can't stop scoring goals and Isak is amazing."Their story keeps building."
Howe matches Keegan and Benitez
After leading Newcastle into the Champions League in his first full season in charge, Howe's team finished seventh in the Premier League last term but missed out on a second consecutive European campaign after Manchester United's victory in the FA Cup final.Questions were being asked of the former Bournemouth boss as recently as early December, when a 4-2 defeat at Brentford left the Magpies in 12th place with only two wins from their previous 11 top-flight outings.Since then, however, Newcastle have been sensational.As well as comfortable wins over Ipswich, Leicester and Aston Villa, they have recorded superb victories away at Manchester United and Tottenham - not to mention a magnificent win at Arsenal in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.Sandro Tonali, who served a 10-month ban last year for breaching betting regulations, has played an integral role in the Magpies' resurgence, controlling the tempo from a deep-lying midfield role and allowing the likes of Bruno Guimaraes to influence proceedings further up the pitch.Newcastle were fortunate to keep a clean sheet on Wednesday as Wolves went close on a number of occasions, but they were ruthless in the final third as Howe became only the third Newcastle manager - after Kevin Keegan in 1994 and Rafael Benitez in 2016 - to record nine straight victories.Howe will hold the record outright if they beat his old club Bournemouth on Saturday, but the 47-year-old still feels the Magpies are capable of fine-tuning areas of their game."We know we can play better than today," he told BBC Match of the Day. "Overall, I can't be too picky. It's nine wins in a row now."We had a few scares today. Wolves are difficult to play with. We knew we can play better and did enough of the detailed work to get the win."There is a lot to be positive about and a lot to improve."
'Every club in world football looking at Isak'
Isak may have had a slice of good fortune with his first goal, but - as the old adage goes - you make your own luck.The Sweden international had already sent a shot narrowly wide of the near post before his deflected opener off Rayan Ait-Nouri late in the first half.Isak is only the fourth player to find the net in eight straight Premier League fixtures, after Ruud van Nistelrooy, Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy, who scored in a record 11 top-flight games in Leicester's 2015-16 title-winning season.The 25-year-old finished coolly from Bruno Guimaraes' pass to double Newcastle's lead in the second half, before showing tremendous composure to pick out Gordon for the Magpies' third after his initial cross rebounded back into his path."It is one of his biggest strengths - his composure and level of finishing is at the highest level," Howe said. "He has the extra second of composure that players at the top level have.""He is the complete striker," added Shearer. "He is in red-hot form. No-one can stop him."He has got this belief and confidence and there is no doubt that he has the ability. He does his bit defensively, which he has to do in that Newcastle team."Everything about his game is great. He is just so tough to mark."Isak, who has now scored 17 goals in 23 appearances for Newcastle this term, has been linked with a move to Arsenal in the winter transfer window.But even if Newcastle could be persuaded to part with their star striker, it would take an eye-watering transfer fee to prize him away from St James' Park."He is going to cost you the bank and more," former Tottenham and England winger Aaron Lennon told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I think every club in world football will be looking at him."He can do everything."