Alan Pardew says Newcastle's defence has been key to pursuit of Champions League spot Since Kevin Keegan's 'Entertainers' of the mid-90s, through to Sir Bobby Robson's Champions League side, Newcastle have been lauded for playing exciting football, but have been ultimately undermined by their defensive failings. This season, Newcastle have kept 15 clean sheets, a new club record in a 38-game Premier League season. After the shock 4-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic, they reorganised and beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Ben Arfa has to gain the respect of the players for the way he worked and fitted in. When they saw how he worked for the team, then they supported him as he worked his magic, because he was in the team by merit. Newcastle were able to soak up pressure against Chelsea and hit with speed on the break and, with Manchester City needing to win on Sunday, Pardew knows the situation could play into his team's hands. He said: "When you play against top-quality technicians, like City are, I think it is very important to show them respect and cover each other. You have to expect to get beaten as a defender, but there will be someone there covering. If we do that then you have a chance of getting a clean sheet and if we keep a clean sheet we have the players who can win us the game at the other end.