Jose Enrique has watched on as his two former clubs Newcastle United and Liverpool battle it out for a place in the top four.
The Spaniard has been eager for Liverpool to force their way into the Champions League picture, but has now conceded that his beloved Reds have not been good enough this season.
Newcastle have, and they are going to finish either third or fourth depending on how results go on the final day.
For Liverpool, their top four hopes ended on Thursday night after Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea. The result means that the Premier League’s representatives in next season’s Champions League are confirmed, with Man United joining Newcastle, Arsenal and Manchester City.
It is a massive underachievement for Jurgen Klopp’s side, who were tipped to challenge for the title. Instead they will finish fifth, meaning Europa League football is on his way to Anfield.
While he played for both clubs, Enrique has never been shy to express that his love for Liverpool exceeds that of the Magpies, but he has been graceful in the aftermath of the top four race.
Jose Enrique ‘so happy’ for Newcastle
The former left-back took to Twitter to comment on the top four race coming to an end for the 2022/23 Premier League season.
He wrote: “Well at the end all of them deserve it. We weren’t good enough most of the season and that’s why we miss out but so happy for Newcastle.”
Liverpool simply weren’t good enough
As Enrique says, Liverpool just have not been good enough this season. That has allowed Newcastle to capitalise, with Eddie Howe’s side performing brilliantly for pretty much the entire campaign.
The Magpies have been mean and difficult to beat, resulting in only five losses so far. Funnily enough, two of them came against the underperforming Liverpool.
While Liverpool did rally, it came too late. The damage was already done, resulting in their worst Premier League finish since 2016.
Enrique is obviously disappointed that Liverpool have missed out on the top four, but that does not mean he cannot be happy for Newcastle.