UEFA Champions & Europa League Football Thread ** spoilers ** [16/17/18/24/25 September 2025]
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I don’t think we played too badly considering who we were playing.
If we’d been a bit more clinical, we would have been 2 up inside 20 minutes. But that’s been our issue for months (before the end of last season).
It’s just our luck Rashford decides to finally play some football after however many years of being pants.
I still think there’s positives to take away from tonight, but it’s obviously a disappointing result.
If we’d been a bit more clinical, we would have been 2 up inside 20 minutes. But that’s been our issue for months (before the end of last season).
It’s just our luck Rashford decides to finally play some football after however many years of being pants.
I still think there’s positives to take away from tonight, but it’s obviously a disappointing result.
Yep. Second best all night really. Tried hard enough but just don’t have the quality up front and their keeper was barely tested. Mind let’s not forget we weren’t up against Stoke City here. This is a team with a world profile and European pedigree that is only ran close by a couple of clubs with a central midfield pairing as good as I’ve seen lately.
No shame in that result, some good experience for the lads and more minutes for the new signings. Much like the Liverpool loss the other week, this isn’t a season defining game but hopefully one we can learn from.
Not really sure what to say about the game really.
I don't think we seen a great Barca team there. Apart from Rashford's goals it's not like Barca played great.
Newcastle could and should have been putting one of the 2 really good chances away in the first half, obviously missing a decent strker (as in no shock to anyone).
Barca played the game out after going 2 up really, and finished the stronger.
Barca look "relaxed" at that level, Newcastle will learn from it.
I don't think we seen a great Barca team there. Apart from Rashford's goals it's not like Barca played great.
Newcastle could and should have been putting one of the 2 really good chances away in the first half, obviously missing a decent strker (as in no shock to anyone).
Barca played the game out after going 2 up really, and finished the stronger.
Barca look "relaxed" at that level, Newcastle will learn from it.
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Soldato
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Everyone on the radio was calling for barnes to be dropped as the looked below par since the start of the season
Hopefully we'll get something from the next game and especially this weekend too
Hard to disagree with any of that. Barca did what they had to in order to win and while I don't think they were ever really comfortable they likely never felt in danger. They had everything thrown at them in the first 30 minutes, against an aggressive midfield in a hostile environment away from home. A situation they have been in 100's of times. Newcastle entertained a real heavyweight of Europe and couldn't figure out a way to beat them, a situation we have been in just a handful of times.
It was a proper European performance from Barca that. Go away, do enough, get the win, move on.
Modern day Utd is a graveyard for players careers. Almost every player that has left Utd has excelled for their new team and Rashford is no exception.I don’t think we played too badly considering who we were playing.
If we’d been a bit more clinical, we would have been 2 up inside 20 minutes. But that’s been our issue for months (before the end of last season).
It’s just our luck Rashford decides to finally play some football after however many years of being pants.
I still think there’s positives to take away from tonight, but it’s obviously a disappointing result.
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That’s what made them so good. Had we a different front 3 with a Striker from the offset they probably could have turned up the tempo. Barnes and Gordon both missed wonder chances after Elenga put the ball on the plate for both.
Really did enjoy our goal tho. Nick dropping deep for the link up pulled their defence out for us then to hit them on the wing. You can fire the ball into him and he won’t lose it. Compare that to Gordon up from his movement and hold up play are just non existent.
Schar needs dropped for Thaiw at the weekend. That’s twice he’s been smashed in the head in a short space of time and it clearly had an effect.
Soldato
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Maybe I am being over critical, but I'd be giving our players (Newcastle) a bit of a dressing down tbh. Joelinton and Bruno need to stop trying to be this mythical "blood and guts" duo and actually start being clever, giving the ball away far too much and we are considering them to be one of the best midfields in the League? They need to improve if they want that.
Gordon doesn't work as a forward. End of.
Barnes, looks like he isn't going to be good enough.
Willock... get rid.
Elanga looks like he had a better game last night, but still needs to sharpen that final decision making... albeit probably work a lot better when he has actual forwards to deal with.
Defence wise, we seem ok still... still. I don't know, I just feel like are we just in this Champions League again for a laugh? We had our fun moment all happy just to be part of things a couple season back now. We are now moving up a level, we have won our first trophy, I think we need to be a lot sharper and get to grips with being far more clever in the big games if we ever want to actually be a "big club" on the pitch.
Just my feeling on it, I am not happy to praise the same players week in week out just because they blow a gasket, ultimately being sloppy just because they have been on the journey with us all along. They still deserve criticism, and if we really are moving up in the world... then they should demand the criticism to prove us wrong I guess. That's what the elite end up doing. Hopefully we get a grip and not just have an up and down season because we are now in the Champions League again. We need to get used to this if we really want it.
Gordon doesn't work as a forward. End of.
Barnes, looks like he isn't going to be good enough.
Willock... get rid.
Elanga looks like he had a better game last night, but still needs to sharpen that final decision making... albeit probably work a lot better when he has actual forwards to deal with.
Defence wise, we seem ok still... still. I don't know, I just feel like are we just in this Champions League again for a laugh? We had our fun moment all happy just to be part of things a couple season back now. We are now moving up a level, we have won our first trophy, I think we need to be a lot sharper and get to grips with being far more clever in the big games if we ever want to actually be a "big club" on the pitch.
Just my feeling on it, I am not happy to praise the same players week in week out just because they blow a gasket, ultimately being sloppy just because they have been on the journey with us all along. They still deserve criticism, and if we really are moving up in the world... then they should demand the criticism to prove us wrong I guess. That's what the elite end up doing. Hopefully we get a grip and not just have an up and down season because we are now in the Champions League again. We need to get used to this if we really want it.
I don’t think that’s unfair but we were playing Barcelona, let’s not forget that. I love Bruno. He’d be welcome to have a go on my lass anytime he wants, I’d even make him breakfast in the morning but he gives the ball away needlessly loads. It’s what’s stopping him really being a top tier player. You can get away with that against half the premier league but not up against that lot.
I don’t think JL is a great player either but he gives us something that others don’t and is essential to the way Howe wants to play. I feel we are in a bit of danger of becoming a 30 minute team. Press hard, push physically, get a goal or hopefully two, drop into a 5-5 formation and let the opposition have the ball for the next hour. Like above, works in the premier league against most of the sides. Doesn’t work at this level. Neither does starting a game without a centre forward, i don’t think a centre back would look at Gordon’s name on the team sheet and think he was going to get a tough game.
Newcastle aren’t at this level though, a freak Man Utd win put us there on goal difference. The squad is still threadbare, the youth and academy is a decade behind some championship teams, the wage bill metric should have us finishing near to or just outside the UEFA spots.
There’s a bit of a novelty feel about being in the champions league and I think most of the fans realise it likely won’t happen again for a while. Just look at the pathetic half half scarves on sale last night and all the fuss over beating them 30 years ago as if it’s some kind of rekindled rivalry when most Barca fans probably can’t even recall that game, or the drubbing they gave us 5 years later when we didn’t lay a glove on them. Just another European game to them, one of hundreds, while we have framed pictures and shirts printed about it. Newcastle have played 18 games in this competition, Barcas centre forward alone has 105 goals in it. Levels.
Proper champions league teams don’t have a backline with an average age of over 30. They don’t have centre backs like our two or an ageing Trippier who looks well and truly off the pace. Rashford was worrying him last night, Wolves targeted him last week and it’s a certainty Bournemouth will do the same today.
We just have to enjoy it for what it is and the new format may yield us a few wins and hopefully fluke a passage towards the next round as well as some great memories for the travelling fans and 80 odd page threads on the Sunderland message board about each game.
With the way PSR is set up and the apathy the PIF seem to have towards it while the powerhouse clubs do whatever they please, we are at the glass ceiling, the odd European qualification and hopefully good domestic cup runs is all we can hope for.
HWTL
I don’t think JL is a great player either but he gives us something that others don’t and is essential to the way Howe wants to play. I feel we are in a bit of danger of becoming a 30 minute team. Press hard, push physically, get a goal or hopefully two, drop into a 5-5 formation and let the opposition have the ball for the next hour. Like above, works in the premier league against most of the sides. Doesn’t work at this level. Neither does starting a game without a centre forward, i don’t think a centre back would look at Gordon’s name on the team sheet and think he was going to get a tough game.
Newcastle aren’t at this level though, a freak Man Utd win put us there on goal difference. The squad is still threadbare, the youth and academy is a decade behind some championship teams, the wage bill metric should have us finishing near to or just outside the UEFA spots.
There’s a bit of a novelty feel about being in the champions league and I think most of the fans realise it likely won’t happen again for a while. Just look at the pathetic half half scarves on sale last night and all the fuss over beating them 30 years ago as if it’s some kind of rekindled rivalry when most Barca fans probably can’t even recall that game, or the drubbing they gave us 5 years later when we didn’t lay a glove on them. Just another European game to them, one of hundreds, while we have framed pictures and shirts printed about it. Newcastle have played 18 games in this competition, Barcas centre forward alone has 105 goals in it. Levels.
Proper champions league teams don’t have a backline with an average age of over 30. They don’t have centre backs like our two or an ageing Trippier who looks well and truly off the pace. Rashford was worrying him last night, Wolves targeted him last week and it’s a certainty Bournemouth will do the same today.
We just have to enjoy it for what it is and the new format may yield us a few wins and hopefully fluke a passage towards the next round as well as some great memories for the travelling fans and 80 odd page threads on the Sunderland message board about each game.
With the way PSR is set up and the apathy the PIF seem to have towards it while the powerhouse clubs do whatever they please, we are at the glass ceiling, the odd European qualification and hopefully good domestic cup runs is all we can hope for.
HWTL
Soldato
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Hate to say it, but are we due a transition on the first team/squad soon? Our squad has always been thin, we have started to address that slightly I think this summer.
But over the next 2 seasons, we need to start filtering out some of the originals and bringing in some "first team" replacements. I talking, Joelinton, Burn, Schar, Trippier mainly.
I think the likes of the Barnes, Willocks just generally need to go tbh. I'd say Gordon needs to have a good season tbh as well. We definitely need another forward next transfer window. It's like we have taking 2 steps back and 2 steps forward in a weird way.
Again, I am deliberately being hyper critical, only because we don't want to just stay standing and ultimately, this isn't our one off back in the Champions League.
Although, caveat all this with.. we need to start picking up points in the League, Bournemouth going to be a proper tough game straight after Barca, but this is where we are we can't complain
Overall it's all still amazing being a Newcastle fan.... I am still in the mindset of wow we were so crap only 5 + years back now... for what seemed forever.
But over the next 2 seasons, we need to start filtering out some of the originals and bringing in some "first team" replacements. I talking, Joelinton, Burn, Schar, Trippier mainly.
I think the likes of the Barnes, Willocks just generally need to go tbh. I'd say Gordon needs to have a good season tbh as well. We definitely need another forward next transfer window. It's like we have taking 2 steps back and 2 steps forward in a weird way.
Again, I am deliberately being hyper critical, only because we don't want to just stay standing and ultimately, this isn't our one off back in the Champions League.
Although, caveat all this with.. we need to start picking up points in the League, Bournemouth going to be a proper tough game straight after Barca, but this is where we are we can't complain
Overall it's all still amazing being a Newcastle fan.... I am still in the mindset of wow we were so crap only 5 + years back now... for what seemed forever.