PUNDIT VERDICT: ROY KEANE AND JAMIE CARRAGHER ANALYZE NEWCASTLE’S TACTICAL FAILURE
Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher clash with Eddie Howe over Newcastle’s loss to Man Utd, citing a lack of quality over fitness.
Turns out Newcastle's loss to Man U wasn't about being less physical, even though manager Eddie Howe kind of said it was.
That's what Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher think, anyway. They didn't agree with Howe's comments after the game. Some Newcastle fans also think the coach needs a new plan that doesn't just rely on the team being super physical.
Howe felt his guys weren't as fit as they should've been at Old Trafford, especially after their super intense game against Chelsea.
But Keane and Carragher from Sky Sports think Newcastle lost because they weren't good enough or calm enough when they got close to Man U's goal.
Howe said Newcastle didn't look as physically good as we did in our last game against Chelsea, where we were physically outstanding. He thought his team struggled to push through and score against a tight defence.
This has been a big topic for Newcastle fans. Some say the team needs a Plan B and should focus less on being physical and more on skill. Keane, who used to coach Sunderland, responded to Howe's comments by saying, The most important thing is getting the ball in the net and making smart choices.
You can talk about fitness, but they were in the right spots and just weren't good enough. They weren't calm or ready. All those balls went into the box, and nobody was moving or paying attention.
Look at Man U's goal. The ball was in the air for ages, and Newcastle didn't react. He [Howe] has plenty to be upset about. Stats are cool, but it's about scoring.
Usually, when you have passing stats like that, the other team's goalie is the star, but we barely talked about him. They didn't challenge him.
Carragher agreed; Newcastle fans always talk about how intense they are, how hard they press, and how much energy they have at St. James' Park. But it's way different when they play away, especially compared to that Sunderland game.
They had to go after Man U, given who was on the field. And though they started strong, Man U took over, and Newcastle couldn't get back in the game.
But Newcastle really took over in the second half, but they still didn't do enough to win. If you dominate like that, you're showing you're the better team.
In the first half, they only had one real chance from a set piece. Their set pieces were better than their regular plays. But the goalie didn't even have to make one save.
Howe agreed with that, saying, I think we made chances; we just didn’t make outstanding chances, the type of chances you need to score.
Newcastle's players get a four-day break now before playing Burnley on Tuesday to end 2025.
Howe would like to switch players up to keep everyone fresh and fit, but he doesn't have many choices because so many players are hurt, especially on defence.
Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, Tino Livramento, Jamaal Lascelles, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn are all injured. This means Lewis Miley has to play right-back, which limits the midfield choices. Although Howe can still use Joe Willock and Joelinton, who played for the first time in five games against Man U.
Anthony Elanga missed playing against his old team due to an injury, and William Osula is also still recovering. Yoane Wissa isn't ready to start games yet, as the medical team is slowly getting him back in shape after his knee injury.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
_1777914166.webp)
Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
Must Read
