After returning to the Champions League, Newcastle United have struggled this season.
Eddie Howe produced a miracle during the 2022/23 campaign, guiding Newcastle to fourth place in the Premier League to qualify for Europe’s elite competition.
The Champions League was a magical ride for the Magpies, as Howe’s side took on some of the biggest clubs around and created memories that will last a lifetime.
However, the journey ended at the earliest stage, and the extra games have had a negative impact on Newcastle United’s season.
The Magpies are struggling to replicate last season’s accomplishment, and are almost certainly not going to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Instead, they are competing for Europa League or Conference League football.
However, BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks thinks missing out on Europe altogether might be for the best.
Garth Crooks thinks Newcastle would benefit from missing out on Europe
Crooks has written about Newcastle United avoiding Europe during his latest column for BBC Sport, suggesting that the Magpies and Brighton And Hove Albion could benefit from not being in a European competition next season due to the impact it has had this year.
“The Seagulls look like they are suffering from the mental and physical fatigue associated with competing in Europe, which Newcastle have also felt,” he wrote.
“It’s not simply having an impact on both clubs’ injuries, but the ability to produce the expected result or retain their performance levels.
“It will be interesting to see where Brighton and Newcastle finish this season. A year out of European competition might do them good and give them a chance to recharge their batteries.”
Newcastle absolutely must qualify for Europe
It is an absolutely ridiculous claim from Crooks. Missing out on Europe altogether certainly would not be beneficial, despite the impact that our continental experience has had.
The only way we are going to get used to the rigours of playing in Europe is by doing it consistently.
Effectively skipping a year would be pointless. You would just end up in a cycle of ‘one year in Europe, one year out’.
If Newcastle miss out on Europe, it will be a disaster. It would hardly entice the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak to stay, while it would also mean less revenue coming into the club. In turn, that would probably result in a major name like Bruno or Isak needing to be sold.
This has been a tough season, but it is one Newcastle are learning from. This is a journey, and playing in the Champions League this season was just the first milestone. There are plenty more steps to take before reaching the top, but Crooks’ suggestion of going backwards is nonsense.
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