World Cup winner Marcel Desailly asserts that Newcastle United “wasn’t supposed to beat PSG” and makes the top four.
The former France international doubts Newcastle will be able to match their heroics from the previous year.
Marcel Desailly, a former Chelsea defender and World Cup champion with France, has praised Newcastle United for their victory over PSG in the Champions League but is skeptical about their chances of repeating as top-four finishers this year.
After spending 20 years out of the Champions League, Eddie Howe’s team beat the odds to earn a spot back in Europe’s premier tournament.
Desailly said of his predictions for the top-four finishers, “Everyone will laugh at me if I say Tottenham will make the top four, so I’ll put them aside.” “I’ll use the same names that most people do.
“I believe Liverpool will be competitive, but Man United’s instability will cost them. When it comes to the players and the administration level, there is simply too much suffering.
“The management of Erik ten Hag is also too strong for the players they have. He doesn’t have the players in his hands – you can tell.
“You can feel that very strongly. That’s why I believe the best management we have today is at Arsenal. Arteta had a very bad season two years ago and almost got sacked a couple of times.
“However, he managed to build up a really nice philosophy and built belief with both the owners and the players. Arteta got the player he wanted this summer and he almost made it last year – but the talent of City was just too strong.
“He’s rebuilt the belief this season, and you could see that in the last twenty minutes of the game against City yesterday. Arsenal were unbelievable!
“They had the majority of the possession, and City couldn’t raise their game to keep up with Arsenal’s energy. I’ll talk about Liverpool, City, and Arsenal. All of those teams exert sluggish, consistent power, much like diesel.
“I have no idea who the other top-four finishers will be, but I’m hoping for a shock. Newcastle was excellent against PSG, but if you examine the game closely, you’ll see that PSG gave them the best platform from which to express themselves.
“Luis Enrique made the error of taking four offensive players to St James’ Park, none of whom were aware of the level of ferocity Newcastle had in mind.
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