Newcastle draw leaves rival officials stunned but Champions League worth so much more than £45m
Newcastle United were handed an almighty Champions League draw against PSG, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan but this is a challenge to relish rather than fear
The gasps were audible in the auditorium the second Barcelona great Eric Abidal decided Newcastle United’s fate. Group F with PSG, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan. No wonder a stunned PSV official sitting behind Darren Eales and Dan Ashworth in the Grimaldi Forum was open-mouthed.
It is hard to know where to start. Kylian Mbappe coming to St James’ Park. Wor Flags facing off with the Yellow Wall in Signal Iduna Park. Sandro Tonali returning to the San Siro…to think the first live Champions League game Eddie Howe will experience will be against one of Europe’s elite sides on the touchline as the Newcastle boss follows in the footsteps of Sir Bobby Robson and Sir Kenny Dalglish in leading the Magpies out.
The gasps were audible in the auditorium the second Barcelona great Eric Abidal decided Newcastle United’s fate. Group F with PSG, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan. No wonder a stunned PSV official sitting behind Darren Eales and Dan Ashworth in the Grimaldi Forum was open-mouthed.
The players have already had a meeting between themselves about how they are going to attack every game this season – no matter the competition – and that is the attitude Newcastle need to have in the Champions League. Certainly the limits of the squad will be tested in the coming months; Newcastle’s penultimate group game, in November, looks set to be sandwiched between Premier League matches against Chelsea and Manchester United.
Yet that is a challenge to relish and sitting at Europe’s top table will be worth so much more than £45m to the bottom line. This is a chance to make a statement. “We will give our all to try and be successful,” Howe previously said. “Otherwise, with all the hard work and effort that has taken to get there, you’ve wasted an opportunity to try and leave a mark and make a dent in a competition that is an amazing thing to be a part of. We want to be in it as long as we can.”
It is easy to forget that Newcastle will have been seen as the team to avoid in pot four. As much as the question is are Newcastle ready for the Champions League, is the competition ready for the return of the Magpies?
