Former Newcastle United striker John Barnes has poured cold water over his old club’s chances of achieving a top four finish in the Premier League any time soon.
When speaking about the time the Magpies defeated Barcelona in the Champions League 20 years ago, Barnes reckons that the team that Rafa Benitez has on his hands now would not be able to get back into Europe’s top competition in the next three years.
The United legend also laid into their Premier League chances, admitting that achieving a top four finish is not a prospect that he thinks he will see in the forseeable future.
“That was a Champions League game and you can’t see Newcastle getting back there in the next two or three years at least. But they are back in the Premier League and it may take them time to challenge again to even get in the top seven or eight,” he told the Chronicle.
“Getting back to the top four is something I can’t see in the near future. But it’s a big club and if they cement their place in the Premier League and look forward, why not? Although, I can’t see it in the next few years.
“Newcastle these days need to make sure they stay in the Premier League and then look for an opportunity to push into the top 10, then maybe the top six in the next few years. Long-term, they can look higher.”
OPINION
Benitez certainly has a task on his hands with Newcastle this season, especially as this is one of their worst starts to a Premier League season for a long time. They now have endured four defeats out of five, and only have one point on the board – so it comes as little surprise that Barnes does not rate their chances in the league very highly in the near future. They excelled beyond expectation in their tenth placed finish on their return to the Premier League, but that will now seem like a distant memory to Benitez this season. Even West Ham are now above them in the league, which is saying something considering they have four defeats under their belts too. They will do well to survive this season, but they will need to start getting more points on the board soon – otherwise they may be dragged into a relegation fight sooner than they would have liked.