The reaction of the Newcastle leadership to the Champions League draw speaks volumes as the crowd gasps
Premier League hopefuls Newcastle will need to get past Europe’s three biggest clubs if they want to reach the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League.
Newcastle officials couldn’t believe their luck when handed a brutal Champions League squad in Thursday’s draw.
The warblers will face European giants Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan in the first round of this year’s tournament, which begins next month.
Reaching the knockout stages now looks like a daunting task for Eddie Howe’s top players.
Newcastle know they will face a tough draw in the Champions League after being placed in group four, for the eight weakest teams in the UEFA coefficient rankings.
Still, they hope to avoid some European heavyweights.
However, luck was not on Newcastle’s side when they were placed in Group F.
When the news was confirmed, the crowd gasped and the camera caught three Newcastle employees – communications director Lee Marshall, Director CEO Darren Eales and sporting director Dan Ashworth.
All three looked exhausted and couldn’t force themselves to smile knowing the challenge awaited Howe’s side.Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of the draw, Howe urged his players to be ready for the challenge of playing against the strongest teams in Europe.
“Behind the scenes there was a lot of preparation and making sure we were as organized as possible for the Champions League and all that entails,” he said.
“I think for me, I haven’t really gotten there mentally yet, we have a lot of Premier League games left before the league starts.
We have to make sure we’re ready for that because it’s going to be a change and a dynamic addition to the season.
“I am sure it will test us and motivate us in many ways.
But I think in the end, we have to take that as a huge positive and we’re really looking forward to that.
“Do you think Newcastle can get out of the Champions League group?
Let us know in the comments below!
However, Howe will feel the heat after Thursday’s draw, when club president Yasir Al-Rumayyan demanded success.
He told the Newcastle media team in June:
“(We) have the right people on the management team.
We have the right players.
Above all, we have a great fan base.
“If you have the right people, the right will, the right process and the right capital, if you put it all together, I think that’s a great recipe for success and that’s what we’re achieving.
right now.
.
We should have ambition and aspiration to be number one.
The draw is much easier for Arsenal, who will face Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven and Lens.
Manchester City also have a relatively comfortable squad as the European champions will feature RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys.
Manchester United will have a harder time getting out of their squad after facing Bayern Munich and England captain Harry Kane.
But the Reds will finish ahead of Copenhagen and Galatasaray, the other two teams in their group.
Join our new WhatsApp community!
Click this link to get your daily Mirror Football content.
We also provide members of our community with special offers, promotions and advertising from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check it out at any time.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Leave a Reply