This proves Champions League challenge is more than possible for Newcastle United | OneFootball

Much has been said about the challenge Newcastle United face this season of dealing with both Premier League and Champions League.

The truth is, the template is already there for how NUFC can manage this season successfully.

That for Eddie Howe, progress in the Champions League doesn’t necessarily have to be at the expense of Premier League form.

Let me take you back in time…

14 August 2002 – Zeljeznicar 0 Newcastle 1

19 August 2002 – Newcastle 4 West Ham 0

28 August 2002 – Newcastle 4 Zeljeznicar 0

2 September 2002 – Liverpool 2 Newcastle 2

18 September 2002 Dynamo Kyiv 2 Newcastle 0

21 September 2002 – Newcastle 2 Sunderland 0

24 September 2002 – Newcastle 0 Feyenoord 1

28 September 2002 – Birmingham 0 Newcastle 2

1 October 2002 – Juventus 2 Newcastle 0

5 October 2002 – Newcastle 2 West Brom 1

23 October 2002 – Newcastle 1 Juventus Newcastle 0

26 October – Newcastle 2 Charlton 1

29 October 2002 – Newcastle 2 Dynamo Kyiv 1

4 November 2002 – Newcastle 2 Middlesbrough 0

13 November 2002 – Feyenoord 2 Newcastle 3

16 November 2002 – Newcastle 2 Southampton 1

27 November 2002 – Newcastle 1 Inter Milan 4

1 December 2002 – Newcastle 2 Everton 1

11 December 2002 – Barcelona 3 Newcastle 1

14 December 2002 – Southampton 1 Newcastle 1

18 February 2003 – Bayer Leverkusen 1 Newcastle 3

22 February 2003 – Leeds 0 Newcastle 3

26 February 2003 – Newcastle United 3 Bayer Leverkusen 1

1 March 2003 – Newcastle 1 Chelsea 0

11 March 2003 – Intern Milan 2 Newcastle 2

15 March 2003 – Charlton 0 Newcastle 2

19 March 2003 – Newcastle United 0 Barcelona 2

22 March 2003 – Newcastle 5 Blackburn 1

Back in 2001/2002, Newcastle United finished fourth in the Premier League, having been only eleventh the season before.

In 2022/23, Newcastle United finished fourth in the Premier League, having been only eleventh the season before.

Sir Bobby Robson was the manager back in the day, so that 2001/2002 fourth place finish took him and his Newcastle United team into the Champions League.

As you can see above, that 2002/03 season was memorable, all those Champions League memories. Some incredible matches, some incredible trips abroad…

Newcastle United played 14 Champions League matches in all and as you can see above, Sir Bobby Robson didn’t lose a single Premier League game on the following weekends. What is more, Newcastle actually won 14 of those Premier League matches that immediately followed Champions League games, drawing the other two.

Actually, the Champions League games actually appear to have lifted Newcastle United under Sir Bobby Robson, when it came to playing in the Premier League afterwards. There were 43 points picked up in those 15 PL matches, compared to only 26 points picked up in the other 23 PL games, with Sir Bobby Robson’s side winning only seven of those 23 matches that didn’t immediately follow CL fixtures!

Despite having this tough 14 match Champions League schedule, in that 2002/03 season SBR actually took Newcastle United a place further up the league, finishing third after fourth the season before.

Can Eddie Howe do something similar?

No reason why not, in my opinion.

Nobody pretends it will be easy but whilst there would be endless arguments as to whether this current Newcastle United is better or not than that Sir Bobby NUFC team, I think what is fair to say is that under Eddie Howe we now have a stronger squad than back then in 2002/03, when the manager had to rely on a very small group of players.

What we do know certainly this time, is that if Newcastle United went all the way this season under Eddie Howe and won the Champions League, they still won’t have played as many CL games as were played back in 2002/03. Sir Bobby Robson had the qualifier to deal with and then back then there were two group stages, leading Newcastle United to play those 14 matches, whereas now it is six group games and then potentially two-legged last 16, quarters and semis, before the final, a maximum of 13 Champions League matches to be potentially played this season.