It has been a difficult start to the new season for Newcastle United, with the Magpies failing to win any of their first three Premier League games.
Things aren’t about to get much easier for the Magpies either, as they prepare to travel to Manchester to face the reigning champions.
A daunting task for any team, it may seem almost impassable for a team that have endured the start to the campaign Newcastle have.
An opening weekend 2-1 defeat to Spurs was particularly frustrating when considering the pressure Newcastle exerted on their opponents in the second half, and a trip to Cardiff one week later saw Kenedy miss a late penalty for the Tynesiders as the teams played out a 0-0 draw.
Chelsea visited St James’ on Sunday, and, like Spurs, squeezed home 2-1 winners thanks to an Eden Hazard penalty and Deandre Yedlin own goal.
Just the time then, for a trip to Manchester City.
Fabian Schär is one man who understands the difficulty of the task at hand.
The Austrian, who joined from Deportivo La Coruña in the summer, was reported by Chronicle Live as saying:
It’s going to be another difficult game against a great team,
So it could be more or less the same sort of game and approach.
We will have to defend well. If we do it like we did against Chelsea, then we will have an opportunity to get something there. It’s going to be a very tough game though.
And as well he might be hopeful. Manager Rafael Benitez rolled out a new-look five-at-the-back formation against Chelsea, featuring three central defenders.
With Schär, other new addition Federico Fernandez, Irish international Ciaran Clark, and club captain Jamaal Lascelles, Benitez has a strong core of central defenders to call upon – all of them capable of keeping the dangerous Manchester City at bay.
