Newcastle United want to be where Tottenham Hotspur were last night, securing qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Antonio Conte’s side have finished top of their group thanks to a dramatic 2-1 win over Marseille in the sixth and final game.
They will now continue their Champions League journey in 2023, as they aim to go one further than they did in 2019 when the reached the competition’s final.
For Newcastle, their aim is to return to Europe. That is what the new owners want to achieve in the coming years, and there’s a chance it might happen earlier than anticipated.
The Magpies are enjoying a brilliant start to the season, sitting in fourth after 13 games. If the season ended right now, they would be in next season’s Champions League.
However, there is still a long way to go for Newcastle to qualify for Europe. They are still a long way from achieving what Tottenham did last night.
But after the game, it was the Magpies who Tottenham were trying to be in the dressing room.
Tottenham copy Newcastle dressing room photo
It was a nervy night for Spurs. A defeat would have seen them knocked out of the competition.
And that looked like a very real possibility at half time thanks to former Toon defender Chancel Mbemba. He scored a header to give Marseille the lead, and it looked like his goal was going to break Tottenham hearts.
But Conte’s side rallied, and goals from Clement Lenglet and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg gave Spurs victory. It led to mass celebrations, with Tottenham finishing top of the group.
And after the game they took a leaf out of Eddie Howe’s book.
All the Tottenham players and staff posed for a celebratory picture in the dressing room, toasting a job well done on what was an important night for the club.
Yet interestingly, that’s exactly what Newcastle have been mocked for doing ever since Howe was appointed. When he became manager and got his first win as Toon boss, he decided to get a group photo in the dressing room.
It has since became a tradition, and a very common one with how well his side have done since he took over.
There has been ridicule from every corner for Newcastle’s dressing room photo, because apparently it’s wrong to celebrate winning a game of football. And now Tottenham are copying it themselves.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and hopefully it isn’t long before we see a trademark Howe team photo after a European win.