‘Bring it on’ – Newcastle’s message to Chelsea and Barcelona
Newcastle are certainly enjoying life back at Europe’s top table.
Howe’s side are the top scorers in the Champions League with 26 goals, and have won six games in a single campaign in the competition for the first time.
It has been quite a turnaround in the last two-and-a-half weeks.
Howe was the first to admit he was not doing his job “well enough” after his side were booed off by a section of supporters following a 3-2 defeat against Brentford in the Premier League in their previous game at St James’ Park earlier this month.
The Newcastle head coach embarked on some soul searching in the aftermath of the loss, while his players set out to “fight for the manager”.
Newcastle have won four of their last five games in all competitions since, and secured a place in the knockout stage proper.
Given the revenue gap between the Premier League and a number of clubs on the continent, and the competitiveness of the top-flight, outsiders may question whether that should necessarily come as a huge surprise.
Even beleaguered Tottenham Hotspur, who are hovering above the relegation zone in the Premier League, finished in the top eight of the league phase.
Yet the manner of Newcastle‘s six Champions League victories against Qarabag, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise were far from foregone conclusions.
Qarabag, for instance, had drawn against Chelsea and defeated Benfica, Eintracht Frankfurt and Copenhagen. Newcastle hammered the Azerbaijan Premier League champions.
Although Howe wanted more from his much-changed side in the 3-2 second-leg win on Tuesday night, Newcastle have shown they can battle the continent’s elite on their day.
Newcastle drew 1-1 against holders Paris St-Germain in the French capital last month and suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona in their opening game of the competition.
No wonder, then, defender Dan Burn feels Newcastle can “compete with anybody” at their best.
“We’ve shown that, especially against Paris St-Germain, how good we can be,” he wrote in his programme notes.
“I think we elevate our game going into those games because there are bigger, better teams at this stage of the competition.”