Premier League: Newcastle need another miracle and Man City are still the team to beat - Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer joins Gary Lineker and Micah Richards for Match of the Day this Saturday astatine 22:20 BST connected BBC One and the BBC Sport website for highlights of six Premier League games.

I truly anticipation I americium incorrect and they bash adjacent amended this time, but finishing 5th would inactive beryllium a large achievement, and support the nine connected way for wherever they privation to go.

Fifth mightiness inactive beryllium capable to support Newcastle successful the Champions League excessively - the 2 countries with the champion wide grounds successful Europe this play volition get an other spot successful 2024-25 - but adjacent past the contention looks similar being highly fierce.

Newcastle person made immoderate truly bully signings this summer, and person spent a batch of wealth to fortify their squad - but truthful person each the different teams going for those places.

This time, Eddie Howe has got to woody with the demands of Champions League shot too, portion trying to support the strength successful his side's play that has got them there.

Howe likes young, acceptable and bare players with the vigor for his mode of playing and helium has signed 3 much of them successful Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and Harvey Barnes.

I loved what Newcastle did past season, and I americium expecting thing precise akin erstwhile they spell again this time.

The imagination is winning a trophy, and they came adjacent to ending their agelong hold for silverware successful February erstwhile they reached the Carabao Cup final. I'd emotion to spot them spell heavy successful a home cupful again, and evidently spell 1 measurement further and triumph it this time.

I person not got the aforesaid expectations astir the Champions League, but conscionable having those large European nights backmost again volition beryllium unbelievable.

The electrical ambiance we utilized to get for those occasions astatine St James' Park erstwhile I was a subordinate is thing I volition ne'er forget, and the spot volition beryllium rocking adjacent conscionable successful the radical signifier - I can't wait.

'Haaland could people arsenic many, oregon adjacent more'

There is tons to look guardant to for Newcastle but, being realistic, they cannot deliberation astir winning the Premier League this season. Manchester City are inactive the squad to bushed and I don't spot that changing implicit the adjacent 10 months.

Even by their ain precocious standards, City had unthinkable occurrence past clip retired to triumph the Treble, and go champions of Europe for the archetypal time.

How bash they travel that? Well, portion of Pep Guardiola's occupation is to support his players bare for much and helium has done it brilliantly truthful acold - they person won the Premier League successful 5 of the past six seasons, with the squad continually evolving during that time.

It doesn't ever look to marque immoderate quality erstwhile they suffer cardinal men, truthful I americium not expecting them to dilatory down present Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez person left.

Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic are some precise bully signings and I wouldn't beryllium amazed if they brought successful different attack-minded subordinate successful the adjacent fewer weeks arsenic well.

They are going to beryllium conscionable arsenic coagulated astatine the backmost and they decidedly won't conflict for goals - Erling Haaland volition marque definite of that.

Haaland perfectly smashed his archetypal play successful the Premier League and his situation present is to repetition his unthinkable numbers.

He deed 52 goals successful 54 goals successful each competitions successful 2022-23 and, playing for City, helium volition person the chances to people arsenic many, oregon adjacent more. I person nary uncertainty helium volition bang them successful again, it is conscionable a question of however galore helium volition get.

Haaland lone turned 23 a fewer weeks agone and astatine that age, arsenic a striker, you are inactive learning and processing parts of your crippled - I surely was.

You tin spot helium loves scoring goals - it's what helium lives for - truthful it is simply a scary thought for defences that helium is going to get adjacent better, particularly playing nether a manager similar Guardiola.

'Arsenal request Jesus fit'

Arsenal pushed City closest past play and I tin spot them having a bully spell this clip too.

You don't walk arsenic overmuch arsenic they person this summertime to decorativeness 2nd again - you bash it due to the fact that you privation to decorativeness top. They person surely backed Mikel Arteta successful the transportation market, and their ambition is clear.

They paid a batch of wealth for Declan Rice but, erstwhile Chelsea had paid £100m-plus for Enzo Fernandez successful January, Rice was ever going to spell for a akin fee.

Rice is simply a leader, and an fantabulous subordinate too. We'll person to hold and spot however Arteta fits him and Thomas Partey into his midfield, but breaking guardant is simply a beardown portion of Rice's crippled truthful helium tin surely bash that portion of it if helium is asked to.

My lone interest for the Gunners is astir Gabriel Jesus. He volition miss the commencement of the play with a genu injury, truthful who plays up beforehand successful his absence?

They person brought successful Kai Havertz from Chelsea, who played up beforehand successful Sunday's Community Shield win, but he's ne'er been outstanding arsenic a fig 9 oregon fixed you immoderate large anticipation helium tin play determination for agelong periods and people capable goals.

Eddie Nketiah came successful and had a decent tally erstwhile Jesus was retired for 3 months aft the World Cup but, if Arsenal privation to triumph the league, they request to person Jesus fit.

'Man Utd volition proceed to improve'

United signed Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund for £72m from Atalanta. The 20-year-old scored 10 goals successful 34 appearances for the Italian broadside past season

Talking of strikers, it is going to beryllium absorbing to spot however Rasmus Hojlund gets connected astatine Manchester United, erstwhile helium has recovered from his injury.

He's lone 20 and, again, £72m is simply a batch of wealth but evidently they are buying for his imaginable arsenic well.

We volition person to hold and spot however helium and Marcus Rashford nexus up, and who volition play where, but Erik 10 Hag has evidently made a determination to spell with younker alternatively than trying to motion a much established striker.

Ten Hag had an awesome archetypal season, making the Champions League places, winning the Carabao Cup and reaching the FA Cup last and I americium expecting them to physique connected that, and proceed to improve.

I don't spot them arsenic having capable to triumph the league, but they person made immoderate bully signings that acceptable Ten Hag's gameplan.

We are going to spot them pressing from the beforehand adjacent much erstwhile Hojland plays, and having Andre Onana successful extremity means they tin play retired from the back, thing that didn't ever enactment for them with David de Gea.

Who other volition fig successful contention for apical four?

Liverpool are spending large arsenic well, particularly by agreeing a British grounds interest of £111m for Brighton midfielder Moses Caicedo, which is precisely the benignant of connection their fans were hoping for successful the transportation market.

Jurgen Klopp's broadside are the lone squad to person stopped City from winning the rubric since 2017, erstwhile they were champions successful 2020, but they are not astatine that level astatine the moment.

Their purpose is truly conscionable to get backmost into the apical four, due to the fact that they request Champions League shot - and that's wherefore they are looking to walk that benignant of wealth connected Caicedo, arsenic good arsenic Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

I don't person immoderate worries astir their attacking options, and they've revamped their midfield aft the departures of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner, but let's spot however they get connected defensively - I americium not convinced.

It's hard to cognize what to expect from Chelsea but it is surely intolerable for them to beryllium arsenic atrocious arsenic they were past season, which was an embarrassment for them. Mauricio Pochettino won't let that to hap again.

I would accidental Aston Villa are my acheronian horses to marque the apical six but they are not truly a astonishment bundle due to the fact that of however good they did erstwhile Unai Emery took complaint midway done past season.

They person already shown they beryllium successful this radical of teams, and with Emery's acquisition they volition beryllium successful and astir it again.

Tottenham's purpose volition beryllium to get backmost up determination too, but their chances of making the apical 4 look a batch slimmer present that Harry Kane is connected his mode to Bayern Munich.

Spurs evidently didn't privation to spot him permission connected a escaped but it's a monolithic stroke for caller manager Ange Postecoglou to suffer his prima subordinate now, close astatine the commencement of the caller campaign.

Kane had a superb play past year, scoring 30 goals successful 38 league games, and his signifier was lone overshadowed by Haaland's astonishing scoring feats.

Despite that, Tottenham inactive lone finished eighth. Without him, however are they going to adjacent lucifer that?

Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

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