It’s been quite an unimaginable start to the 2022-23 campaign for Newcastle United, who currently sit third in the Premier League table and remain in the Carabao Cup.
Eddie Howe’s men have lost just one of their opening 15 league matches, and even that was a controversial last-minute defeat at Liverpool.
In total, the Magpies have collected 30 points so far, sparking early hopes of potential European qualification, and progressed into the last 16 of the League Cup.
And when United return to action in late-December after the World Cup, Howe will no doubt ensure his players are ready to go again.
“Talking too much about permutations and results and where we are in the table is wasted energy,” Howe said after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea. It’s about whether can we improve the team with our performance, what areas of the team we need to improve.
“My job is then to devise training sessions to try and implement that and help the players develop individually as well. I don’t think looking at targets or where we are in the league table is healthy. We’ll just continue to focus on our process.”
So, reflecting on the first half of the campaign for now, which players have impressed the most? Here, our writer Jordan Cronin dishes out his Newcastle player ratings from how they’ve performed so far:
25. Bruno Guimaraes - 9
Watching the Brazilian at times, it’s hard to believe he plays for Newcastle United. His performance against Brentford has been the standout so far, but even when he’s ‘quiet’, Guimaraes is always impacting games. Photo: Stu Forster
26. Miguel Almiron - 9
Almiron has scored some quite incredible goals during his remarkable run of eight in eight games. The Premier League Player of the Month for October is in the form of his life - and long may it continue. | Getty Images