'Other teams are in danger': Louis Saha now shares what he feels is Newcastle United's biggest asset

People from south of Scotch Corner are finally starting to take note of Newcastle United again. After a middling season last year and a shaky start to this campaign, Newcastle's form in December even has the southern-based media purring.

Normally, the only time those 'daahn saahf' take any notice of Newcastle is when they're insisting that our players should be playing in London or Manchester.

But after striding up the table and now being in touching distance of fourth spot in the League, suddenly everyone loves Newcastle again.

Well, except maybe those with connections to the 'Big Six' who are likely bricking it that we're back in form.

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Louis Saha is loving this new Newcastle United

Former Manchester United forward, Louis Saha got his break in England via a loan spell at Newcastle so he may have a bit of a soft spot for the Magpies, however, there's no bias in what he told Paddy Power (via The Metro) about Newcastle's midfield. It's just facts.

"Newcastle have the strongest midfield in the league. They have power, creativity, confidence and aggression – it’s all there. Joelinton is an ex-striker now playing in midfield, so he can create the space and transition quickly, and Bruno Guimaraes’s technical ability is amazing. Sandro Tonali has a very classy defensive style – I love this complimentary midfield.

"When you have them combined with wingers and a striker that can operate with ease, other teams are in danger. Sometimes they have made some silly mistakes at the back which is why they aren’t higher up in the league table, but they’ve been persistent – it’s good to see.

"The Premier League is exciting this season because there are so many teams like this – in a few weeks, we could be talking about Aston Villa or Brighton like this. There are a lot of exciting teams this season. The Premier League has perhaps copied Pep Guardiola’s tactical style, which is annoying as it causes too much similar rhythm. What would make it better is to have different styles, like Arsenal back in the day against Manchester United – they had completely different styles.

“It’s nice to see Newcastle out there creating their own style with their aggressiveness and composure. Having Alexander Isak up front as well is brilliant – he’s a terrific player."

Eddie Howe doesn't follow trends, he sets them

Giving Eddie Howe credit for bucking the trend of trying to copy Manchester City is almost as big of a compliment as saying Newcastle have the best midfield in the league.

We've often thought we had, but more and more pundits are starting to point out just how well Bruno, Sandro and Joey are working together and how beneficial that is for the team as a whole.

There's a belief in the team now that they can beat anybody, as Anthony Gordon said after Tuesday's win over Arsenal, and we're starting to feel it as fans too.