Throughout the years, Newcastle have had their fair share of unpredictable results such as the legendary 5-1 victory against Man Utd back in 1996. However, a team that United seem to have become a slight bogey team to is Tottenham.
Now, Newcastle should not enter the game on the opening weekend thinking that they are going to be given a nice welcome back into the Premier League, but it could be the very opposite in fact. Spurs finished the end of the 2016/17 as arguably one of the most in-form teams and if not for Antonio Conte’s masterminded Premier League victory, it could even be said that Spurs would have walked the league.
With the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli who Tottenham value as being amongst the world’s most valuable players, United need to enter this game with the knowledge that they are going to be given anything other than an easy re-entry into the Premier League.
Despite the immediate threat that Tottenham’s strikeforce offers and the strength at the back that they have in Toby Alderwield and Jan Vertonghen, Newcastle have got a very successful record in recent times against Spurs, most recently the 5-1 victory on the final game of the 2015/16 season at St James’ Park in which Gini Wijnaldum hit a double.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, Rolando Aarons and Daryl Janmaat also scored on a day in which Rafa Benitez was convinced to stay and Mauricio Pochettino’ side was utterly humiliated.
The two latest fixtures between these sides resulted in all six points coming home with the Magpies as back in December 2015, Newcastle beat Spurs 2-1 at White Hart Lane as Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez scored late on to recover the game after Eric Dier’s goal.
It was one of the highlights of Steve McClaren’s dismal era. Despite how poor United had been away from home that season, they still managed to turn over the formidable Spurs.
A bonus that Newcastle have after arriving fresh out of the Championship is that it means that opposition teams will have less knowledge on the tactics that Rafa plans on implementing for the up and coming season. It would seem only right that there will be a different style of tactics that Rafa will use to try to adapt to the different style of football that is played in the Premier League compared to in the Championship.
With the influx of new signings from home and abroad, it will only make it harder for Mauricio Pochettino to try to counter the tactics that Rafa will use when he combines players, new and old, into the same team to create a squad that can compete. Don’t write off Rafa’s men for this fixture.