Newcastle United fans have plenty of reason for optimism going forward.
The following Opta table show hows no team has achieved more points than Spurs since the New Year, while Newcastle have defied their relegation-threatened tag with European-type form.
Games Won Drawn Lost Goals For Goals Against Points
Tottenham 12 9 3 0 25 7 30
Man Utd 11 9 0 2 20 9 27
Liverpool 12 8 2 2 27 11 26
Man City 11 8 1 2 29 12 25
Newcastle 11 5 4 2 14 11 19
Bournemouth 12 4 6 2 21 21 18
Arsenal 11 5 1 5 23 17 16
Leicester 11 4 4 3 17 13 16
Swansea 11 4 4 3 13 13 16
West Ham 12 4 4 4 18 20 16
Burnley 11 4 3 4 13 11 15
Everton 12 4 2 6 13 21 14
Brighton 11 3 4 4 14 18 13
C. Palace 12 3 3 6 15 20 12
Chelsea 11 3 3 5 15 17 12
Watford 12 3 3 6 12 22 12
Huddersfield 12 2 2 8 8 22 8
Southampton 11 1 5 5 11 20 8
Stoke 12 1 4 7 7 17 7
West Brom 12 1 2 9 11 24 5
Most believe that Newcastle have what you could consider a decent Championship squad, yet three consecutive Premier League victories have all-but assured their survival for another season. Newcastle are currently sees them in the top ten.
Since New Year’s Day, only four Premier League teams have picked up more points than Newcastle, and on current form Benitez’s side would be challenging for a European spot over a 38-game season.
While Newcastle still struggle for goals, defensively they are extremely well set-up. Only two defeats in their last 11 games illustrates the never-say-die attitude the team adopts under the former Liverpool boss.
Newcastle have room for further improvement, and an astute acquisition here and there could see the club kick-on again over the course of next season.