Things are not looking too good for Newcastle even under new management, according to one of the club's legends.
Fomer striker Alan Shearer shared his thoughts after the Tyne-Wear derby yesterday in his column for The Sun, and even if he saw some improvement after coach Rafa Benitez made some changes to his lineup, he still believes the Magpies will say goodbye to the Premier League this season.
"Rafa Benitez is a good manager, but he's not a magician. Newcastle’s problems defensively and up front are not going to disappear overnight.So I’ve not seen anything yet that stops me worrying about the prospect of my old team being relegated. For an hour, they were really poor against Sunderland,"Shearer wrote.
The former English international scored 206 goals in 10 seasons with Newcastle.
Furthermore, the former Magpie believes that none of the teams playing yesterday will be able to avoid relegation.
"Yesterday’s match was between two poor teams and a draw was a result that neither side really wanted. And the real winners from the Tyne-Wear derby and the weekend as a whole were Norwich. So I still fear for both North-East sides," he added.
But it wasn't all that bad for Shearer, as he expects striker Aleksandr Mitrovic to be fired up by his late equalizer, given that the team will need his contribution to stay afloat.
"Hopefully that late goal can give striker Aleksandar Mitrovic a little bit of confidence — something he badly needs. So that strike might just spur Mitrovic on to get another couple of crucial goals between now and the end of the season. Newcastle can only hope so, because they still don’t look like scoring many," Shearer concluded.
Newcastle's next match will be against Norwich City, which could prove to be crucial in their battle to avoid relegation.
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