Eddie Howe's side are on course for a record-breaking season in one key aspect
Newcastle United players ahead of the Carabao Cup tie at Manchester City
Newcastle United are in the middle of one of their greatest challenges(Image: Matt West/Shutterstock)
View Image
Newcastle United have already played as many games this term as they did in the ENTIRE 2021-22 season - and could be set to break a club record held for more than 20 years.
Eddie Howe's side are being stretched to the limit by a demanding run of fixtures which will see them play 18 games in January and February alone.
Saturday's FA Cup fouth-round game at Aston Villa will be their 41st of a long campaign, which will be one more than total for the season which saw Howe replace Steve Bruce following the Saudi-backed takeover.
Newcastle will play a guaranteed minimum of 55 games this term, with 12 more Premier League games to come, plus a two-legged Champions League play-off with Qarabag and that game at Villa Park.
Victory over the Azerbaijan side will mean another two matches, against either Chelsea or Barcelona, in the last 16 of the Champions League, taking the minimum total to 57.
United have not played that many games since the 2006-07 season, when Glenn Roeder's side played 14 European games to boost their total.
That season, Newcastle had two InterToto Cup games, and then 12 UEFA Cup matches, including two qualifiers. Of course, the calibre of opposition in Europe that season was somewhat different, with United coming up against the likes of Ventspils, Lillestrom, Levadi Talinn and Palermo.
Similarly, Graeme Souness' side clocked up 57 games in the 2004-05 season, which saw a run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup and the semi-final of the FA Cup.
Newcastle finished 13th and 14th in the Premier League in those respective campaigns.
Even their two earlier Champions League adventures didn't bring as many matches. In 2002-03, when Sir Bobby Robson's side had two group stages to contend with, they totalled 54 games, while the 1997-98 season, famed for Tino Asprilla's hat-trick against Barcelona, had 56 matches thanks to a run to the FA Cup final.
For those with longer memories, the Fairs Cup-winning side of 1969 played 59 games that term, with 22-team league meaning 42 matches, plus the European calender. But few would argue that the playing conditions or opposition were comparable to today's game.
It underlines the demands being placed on this Newcastle squad, with injuries having taken their toll throughout the campaign.
While United added six-first team players to their squad last summer, it came after three windows without making any serious investments, while Alexander Isak, Elliot Anderson, Sean Longstaff, Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson, Martin Dubravka and Lloyd Kelly all left.
Of course it's the price of success. Every clubs wants to be part of the Champions League and enjoy cup runs, but achieving that while also maintain Premier League form has proved difficult for United.
They still have a strong chance of finishing in a European place this season, even if Champions League qualification via a top-five position looks a stretch as things stand.
It should, however, leave no doubt that more serious work is needed on the squad if they are to consistenly challenge on multiple fronts.
It's a long journey which Newcastle are still only in the early stages of, but standing still is not an option.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings