Newcastle now have enough about them to avoid the drop
Back at the beginning of the month, fans of Newcastle United were understandably worried about their Premier League future. Coming off the back of just one win during the festive period, including a disappointing 7-3 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, there was a distinct possibility the club would be dragged into a relegation dogfight.
The poor run of form convinced manager Alan Pardew that he needed to spend in order to avoid the drop. While losing Demba Ba was a huge blow, bolstering the defence was a priority. Bringing in Mathieu Debuchy and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa massively solidified a backline that had shipped its fair amount of goals across the season.
In the midfield, Moussa Sissoko was brought in from Toulouse to strengthen in the middle of the park while Yoan Gouffran arrived from Bordeaux as part of Pardew’s Newcastle French Revolution. It was no surprise, in that case, to see the Magpies pick up a vital three points on Tuesday night against Aston Villa.
Goals from Papiss Cisse, assisted by Sissoko, and Yohan Cabaye ensured Newcastle left Villa Park with all three points, regardless of a late surge from the hosts following Christian Benteke’s 49th minute penalty. Either way, by strengthening in all three key areas, Pardew has increased the club’s chances of staving off the threat of relegation and given them a platform for which they can push on for the remainder of the season.
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