Newcastle United have had a taste of the Champions League, and now they want more.
The Magpies were eliminated from the competition on Wednesday night, losing 2-1 to AC Milan to finish last in their group and leave Europe entirely.
If Newcastle had gotten a draw, the Europa League would have been a fine consolation reward, but they went for the jugular and poured forwards for a winner. Newcastle’s ambition was eventually their undoing, but that should not be criticized.
Eddie Howe’s team, on the other hand, is out and will be anxious to return as soon as possible. That will be incredibly challenging, especially because the Premier League is no longer guaranteed a fifth-place finish in the competition when the new format kicks off next season.
Newcastle United performed admirably simply to qualify for the Champions League, and they performed admirably in it given the conditions. They couldn’t have asked for a tougher group and were yet so close to qualifying.
When the new owners took over, they made it clear that they intended Newcastle United to become a fixture in the Champions League. They would not have expected them to qualify so quickly, but they will now be working to guarantee that this is not a one-time occurrence.
That is easier said than done, and Alan Shearer has now indicated what the club must do to advance.
Alan Shearer believes Newcastle need ‘better players’ to be Champions League regulars
On the newest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Alan Shearer discussed what Newcastle must do to reclaim their place in the Champions League.
“Ultimately they are going to need better players but it has just happened so quickly for Newcastle,” he went on to say.
“I mean, nobody expected them to make the top four, so there has to be some realism there.”
“I’m not saying there won’t be from Newcastle fans; I believe there will be, and there will be patience because they are way, way ahead of schedule.” I only hope they aren’t victims of their own success, given how rapidly it happened.
“Two years ago, no one would have predicted that Newcastle would be playing PSG, AC Milan, and all of these games in the Champions League.” You’d have said no way, it’s far too fast. But everything has happened, and they are much ahead of schedule, but to advance to the next stage, you will need better players.”
Newcastle squad must get even better to get to that level
It is a simple answer, but Newcastle will require a higher caliber of players to qualify for and perform well in the Champions League on a consistent basis. As we have seen, it is an elite competition.
We did not humiliate ourselves, but there were instances when it was clear that several of our players were a level below where they needed to be. There is no shame in that, and they deserved the chance to put their skills to the test in Europe after working so hard to get there.
However, if Newcastle’s owners want the team to be in the Champions League on a regular basis and eventually do well in the competition, the squad will need to improve even more.
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