Eddie Howe is confident Newcastle at their best can beat anyone as they attempt to book an extended Champions League adventure.
The Magpies edged on to 10 points in this season’s competition and into 12th place in the table after a 2-2 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday evening, a game in which they led 2-1 with just two minutes of normal time remaining.
Despite the disappointment of conceding a late equaliser, head coach Howe is confident they can progress to the knockout stage despite facing tough tests against PSV Eindhoven at St James’ Park and holders Paris St-Germain away in their final two league stage games.
Speaking at his post-match press conference at the BayArena, he said: “We have to believe. When we started the Champions League campaign, if we thought it was going to be easy, I think we’re in the wrong competition.
“You’re playing very, very good teams, we’re travelling, the game schedule we’ve got – all these things you add together makes it a challenging period for us, but I think the players are navigating it really well. We are playing with a clear identity and a plan.
“Before the international break, I was disappointed with a couple of the performances, so I think we’ve come back strong in that respect.
“We have it all to prove. The two games we have are very difficult games, but I believe in the group. Wherever we go if we’re near our best, we can win.”
Newcastle would have climbed into sixth place if they had managed to hang on to the lead 19-year-old Lewis Miley had given them after Anthony Gordon had cancelled out Bruno Guimaraes’ unfortunate own goal from the penalty spot.
Alejandro Grimaldo snatched a point for the hosts with an 88th-minute equaliser as the Magpies once against conceded a costly late goal.
Howe said: “We’re a team that’s hopefully building in the right direction. We had a difficult summer – you saw that in some of our early performances. I think the last six have been a lot better.
“But we’re not perfect and we’re doing our best to develop and to grow. There are positive signs, but there are still some moments where we shoot ourselves, to a degree, in the foot.
“That was there again today and I know it’s a frustration not just for me, but for the players and for everybody because we’re costing ourselves at the moment.”
Substitute Miley’s 73rd-minute header made him the club’s youngest Champions League goalscorer, and the teenager will hope his efforts earn him some involvement in Sunday’s Premier League derby trip to Sunderland.
Howe said: “He’s doing really and that’s all you can ask from any player when they enter the pitch, they give their best, they contribute and they prove how good they are.
“I thought he did that in the time he was on the pitch tonight. He scored a great goal. I’m really disappointed for him that it wasn’t the match-defining moment.”
