Paul Merson insists that Newcastle United won’t be relegated from the Premier League this season.
The battle for relegation this campaign appears to be a wide one in the top flight and the majority of teams are in danger of being near the drop zone.
Rafael Benitez’s side are currently 11th in the league standings and are just five points above the bottom three.
The North East club have lost their last three consecutive league games and will be desperate to end their poor run oF form at the weekend when they host Watford.
Merson is adamant that Newcastle will end up mid-table this year and avoid a relegation scrap.
The Sky Sports pundit is so certain that he feels Benitez should prioritise trying to win the FA Cup this season by playing his best XI in the competition.
“I think if you didn’t support Sunderland, who wouldn’t want to see Newcastle win the FA Cup this year, because number one, their supporters and number two, they haven’t won anything for God knows how long,” Merson told Sky Sports programme The Debate.
“They’re middle of the table, they’re not getting relegated, they’re not going to get in the top four, they should play their strongest team all the time.”
OPINION
Newcastle have made a decent start on their return to the Premier League and their form suggests they can stay clear of a relegation battle, but at this point in the season it is still too early to tell. They have lost their last three consecutive matches and need to address their slump in form quickly. Benitez is a top-class manager and has the potential to bring a great level of football back to St James’ Park, but needs to receive the financial to do just that. Newcastle’s current major concern should be the lack of goals in their team and buying a clinical finisher should be high on the club’s agenda.