The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
United ‘have to keep run of form going’, says star
ALEXANDER Isak has issued a “fight to the finish” rallying cry ahead of Newcastle United’s last six matches as the Magpies look to book their place in Europe for next season.
The £63million man took his tally to 21 goals for the season with a brace against Tottenham Hotspur and finds himself in red hot form going into the run-in.
Isak’s performance was assessed by Sweden boss and former Newcastle forward Jon Dahl Tomasson against Spurs and the Dane spent time with Isak in the tunnel afterwards to offer him some praise on Saturday. But Isak is not finished here, and neither are Newcastle. There is an internal target in the dressing room and it is believed to be points based.
Whether Newcastle hit that tally remains to be seen while the prize for the season overall is yet to be decided. Nobody knows if fifth place will be up for grabs for the Champions League but if Eddie Howe’s side can somehow win all six of their last batch of games, there could be a magical finale to the 2023/24 campaign.
Isak told The Chronicle: “We are in form at the right time, we have a few games left and we have to finish the season in a good way. The last three games we have been going good, and we have to keep that going now.
“We’d like to play this weekend of course. But on the other hand, we have some time to recover and who knows? We might get some more players back fit. You have to look at the positives and we just have to keep going.”
Howe spoke of winning six out of six in the run-in, and Isak knows if Newcastle can achieve that there’s a chance of something special happening. Given Newcastle’s injury situation, even sixth place would be classed as a very good season.
The striker said: “We look at it game by game. And one thing we do know is we have something to play for now. We will see where that takes us.”
Asked if Newcastle could win all six, Isak added: “Well, if we play like we did against Spurs, yeah. It is not easy to keep that level but that is going to be our mentality.” Newcastle turned on the style against Spurs and many observers were surprised by the magnitude of the 4-0 victory over the top four chasers. Looking back on the game, Isak said: “Tottenham’s philosophy has worked well for them this season, that’s the way they play. It is always going to be difficult for any team to come here and perform, and we were able to make it difficult for them.”
Since Isak returned from a midwinter groin problem, he has bagged seven goals in seven matches. His form and play in general has been enhanced by Anthony Gordon. Isak and Gordon both worked away with 10/10 performances on Saturday against Spurs and he admits he loves playing alongside the fully-fledged England international.
“It’s fun. He is a very easy player to play with, he has qualities, he’s really fast, and we have a good understanding,” explained Isak.
Unfortunately for Isak, he will not be involved in the European Championships this summer after the Swedes failed to qualify for Germany last autumn.
Although, it’s fair to say Toon old boy Tomasson was not just on Tyneside for a day out at the weekend. It is believed that the former Blackburn boss was checking on availability for a double friendly date in June when Sweden face Denmark then Serbia. Speaking about Tomasson’s presence, Isak said: “Yes I knew he was here and I spoke to him after the game.”
As the teams left the pitch, Tomasson was just as impressed as every Geordie fan. Like Howe, he knows he has a potentially world class striker to build his team around.
We are in form at the right time, we have a few games left and we have to finish the season in a good way,