After a poor start to the season which saw them triumph in just one of their opening seven Premier League fixtures, Newcastle United were in dire need of an immediate and significant reversal in form when they returned from the international break earlier this month. 

The Magpies are now a club that have relatively high expectations after it was acquired by a Saudi-led consortium for £300 million in 2021 – and given how they had performed throughout the first couple of months in their 2022/23 campaign – it was clear they weren’t living up to their lofty projections that saw them the seventh favourites in the Premier League betting odds before the season got underway.

Couple that with the success they experienced in the second half of last season under the newly appointed manager Eddie Howe, and you could sense the pressure was starting to mount on the players and managerial staff at St James’ Park. Since returning from the international break however, they have answered their critics and then some – thrashing respectable outfits Brentford and Fulham 5-1 and 4-1 respectively.

Howe will be particularly pleased with the nature of their wins, as they have played a team-oriented brand of football that has seen some key players return to good form. One player in particular who has been scintillating of late is Bruno Guimaraes, whose brace against Brentford highlighted the enormous amount of class the 24-year-old possesses.

The Brazilian international joined Newcastle from French club Lyon for £35 million in January – and is beginning to establish himself as one of the top midfielders in the league. Additionally, right-back Kieran Trippier has justified his pre-season re-signing in recent performances, as he has showed a level of poise and creativity at the back that has oftentimes been the catalyst for their successes up the field. 

However, both men have been dealing with niggling injuries, something that Howe is monitoring closely.

“He (Trippier) just had a bit of fatigue I think today. He’s come back from England duty where he didn’t play, and that two weeks can sometimes just knock a player’s normal routine and schedule,” Howe said in the aftermath of the Brentford victory.

“Touch wood, there’s no injury with him, but we’re just trying to look after him really and get him through these games.”

Equally, United staff are keeping a close eye on Guimaraes to ensure he doesn’t aggravate a hamstring injury he has recently recovered from.

“I said to him to run himself out, and then once he was done, let me know,” he said.

“I think the beauty of Bruno is that he won’t let the team down – when he gets to the point where he’s finished and done, he’s obviously building up his fitness levels after his injury, then he takes responsibility and lets me know. I was able to withdraw him.”

With the break for the Qatar World Cup rapidly approaching, Newcastle will be hoping to solidify their spot in the top six before the end of November – and they are in the box seat to do so with winnable games against Everton, Aston Villa and Southampton. They will have their work cut out against the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea however, who, at the time of writing, are above them in the league table.