Newcastle Club Focus – Pardew delighted as internationals return unscathed
Newcastle have no fresh injury concerns as they return to league action following the international break. The likes of Yohan Cabaye and Cheik Tiote have all returned to the club unscathed after featuring for their countries. There was a fear that Cabaye would be facing some time on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury when playing for France last Friday, but he returned to feature in the Les Bleus’ midweek game as they secured their place at the Euro 2012 finals. It appears that Cabaye could have an important role to play in the finals as he has become an increasingly important player under Coach Laurent Blanc. He has also established himself as a key player in his short time so far at St James’ Park.
The Magpies will be hoping that the international break has not disrupted their momentum as they look to extend their unbeaten start to the season. Few would have expected this to happen midway through October but up to now the team have surprised even their most optimistic fans. They face another test of their credentials on Sunday when they face Tottenham, who lie two places behind them in the table. Spurs enjoyed a fine run through September and are currently one of the form teams in the league. Newcastle have a good record at home against Harry Redknapp’s side with their last league defeat coming back in the 2004/05 season. When they met in the league last campaign the match finished 1-1 with current captain Fabricio Coloccini scoring a memorable goal.
Manager Alan Pardew believes the international break has had its benefits despite the potential to disrupt all of the club’s progress made so far. While the manager has been sweating over the return of some of his key players it has allowed others the opportunity to work on their fitness and match sharpness. Pardew revealed: “One of the good things about the free weekend is that it has given us the chance to get the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa up to speed. He is looking sharper in training and there are one or two others that maybe benefitted too. It is a chance for Sylvain Marveaux and Dan Gosling to get that little bit more work under their belt." However it is still unlikely the trio will start on Sunday as Pardew has so far kept faith with nearly the same starting XI every game up to now.
Out-of-favour midfielder Danny Guthrie is not concerned that he has less than a year remaining on his contract. Despite a lack of clarity over his future on Tyneside the 24-year-old will wait until January before deciding on his future. The former Liverpool player has been troubled by injury for much of the past 18 months and is yet to start in the league this season. It remains to be seen if he will given the option to extend his stay in the north east.
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