England boss Thomas Tuchel says he believes Newcastle United have an advantage in next season's title race

Newcastle United will be hoping to be battling near the top of the table next season after proving that they have what it takes to mix it with the big boys.

While Newcastle ultimately finished fifth last season, still qualifying for the Champions League thanks to a superior goal difference over Aston Villa, there was a point where it looked like the Magpies might steal second place, so tight was the run-in.

Not just that, though, but on their way to ending their 70-year domestic trophy drought with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Wembley, Newcastle vanquished every other team in the league's top four along the way.

The Magpies no longer fear anybody, and while it may have been at Wembley in the cup competition, the win over Liverpool should hopefully have banished that curse.

Thomas Tuchel believes Man City and Chelsea are at a disadvantage next season

Provided Newcastle get their recruitment right this summer, there's nothing to suggest that the Magpies can't be a menace in the race for the title next season.

England boss Thomas Tuchel even believes that the Club World Cup has handed the likes of Newcastle an advantage already as he revealed in an interview with TalkSPORT.

“I think teams like Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle will have a huge advantage in next year’s title race and Premier League race.

“To have this time off now. To have a halfway decent pre-season in the planning and the build-up of the physical performance of the players.”

It may hand Newcastle an advantage, but is the Club World Cup everything that's wrong with the modern game?

Too much is being asked of players these days. Newcastle and Tottenham came under fire last year for their Australia tour, which took place before the FA Cup final had even taken place. So many players are expected to go on and play for their country in the off-season, too. There's so little time for rest.

Anthony Gordon is probably the best example of what this fixture pressure can do. Having represented England U21s at the European Championship, Gordon returned to Newcastle and worked hard to get ready for the new season, put in the best season of his career which ultimately led to him travelling with England for the European Championships with Gareth Southgate, and then back to Newcastle for another gruelling season in which he looked pretty exhausted.

Now, FIFA have concocted this ridiculous Club World Cup idea that heaps more pressure on players. Manchester City and Chelsea, as Tuchel says, will now have less time for their players to recover, which could affect them next season.

I mean, obviously, we don't care if Chelsea and City's players are knackered as it only helps us, but in all seriousness, give the players some time to chill out at least.

Mind, after England's last two performances, do we really have any faith in anything Thomas Tuchel says about football?