Jacob Murphy did not hesitate. The Newcastle United winger answered immediately when asked about Barcelona or Chelsea in the Champions League last 16. He spoke on Amazon Prime after his side beat Qarabag 3-2 and secured a dominant 9-3 aggregate win. “Anyone,” he said. “With this group of players, we will take anyone on. In knockout football, we back ourselves. Bring on whoever comes.” His manager shared the same belief.
Newcastle reached their initial target by advancing to the next round. Head coach Eddie Howe did not want the journey to stop. He believes his team can raise its level and compete with anyone. “We have to believe in ourselves,” he said. “We have shown our best in cup games and one-off matches. We rise to every challenge. We must keep that mindset, whoever we face.”
Newcastle Embrace the New Champions League Reality
Newcastle enjoy life back at Europe’s top table. Howe’s side are the Champions League’s top scorers with 26 goals. They have won six matches in a single campaign for the first time. The turnaround over the last two and a half weeks has been striking.
Howe admitted earlier this month that he was not doing his job well enough. A section of supporters booed the team after a 3-2 Premier League defeat to Brentford at St James’ Park. Howe reflected deeply after the loss, while his players decided to fight for him. Newcastle have since won four of their last five matches in all competitions. They also secured a place in the knockout stage.
The revenue gap between the Premier League and many European leagues remains huge. The English top flight also stays highly competitive. Outsiders might not see Newcastle’s progress as surprising. Even struggling Tottenham Hotspur finished in the top eight of the league phase while hovering above the relegation zone domestically.
Yet Newcastle’s six Champions League wins did not come easily. They beat Qarabag, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise with authority. Qarabag had drawn with Chelsea and beaten Benfica, Eintracht Frankfurt and Copenhagen before. Newcastle still hammered the Azerbaijani champions.
Howe wanted more from his rotated side in the 3-2 second-leg win. Newcastle still proved they can battle Europe’s elite. They drew 1-1 with holders Paris St-Germain in Paris. They lost narrowly 2-1 to Barcelona in their opening match. Defender Dan Burn believes the team can compete with anyone at their best. “We showed how good we can be, especially against Paris St-Germain,” he wrote in his programme notes. “We raise our level against bigger and better teams.”
Newcastle No Longer Feel Overawed by Europe
Newcastle still have work to do in the Premier League. They currently sit in 11th place. They no longer feel starstruck by Champions League football. Many at the club experienced the competition for the first time in the opening round. The players dreamed of this stage, as Murphy showed when he heard the anthem at the San Siro in 2023. They now feel they belong.
The squad draws on experience from their previous campaign against Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan in a brutal group. They have also gained big-match experience since then. They ended a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final last March.
That is why Friday’s draw brings excitement, not fear. Former striker Dwight Gayle understands the mood. “The boys in the dressing room will be excited about the next opponent,” he said on radio. “They will buzz off someone like Barcelona. That would create an unbelievable tie. They want this run to continue, and they will stay hungry for more.”
