What is very true is the fact that you can only beat what is in front of you. We played a team that lacked any kind of discipline so their marking, organisation, running, positioning were all atrocious. Frankly, Newcastle currently make opponents look good. We are playing with much more confidence, hence the touches and movement suddenly looks much better. But we were certainly not 'absolutely brilliant'.
In this run of six matches, we've played very well for the entire game against Swansea. We played well second half at West Brom and first half against Chelsea. Aside from that, we've been not much different from how we were before this run. We're scoring at the right times now and the opposition are not punishing us as effectively as they were. In short, our luck has turned. The Burnley game was a perfect example of this.
At the start of the season, we had a way of playing that caused opponents problems. After the Man Utd match, it was evident that opposition had sussed us out, countered our strengths and exploited our weaknesses. It has subsequently taken us six months to find an alternative approach that is effective. Much about our eventual fate this season will depend upon how well our final three opponents prepare against us. The way we play now can be countered quite simply and it was evident over the weekend analysis of our match that people can now see exactly what we're doing and how we're doing it. It's going to be a close run thing.
