It is not quite make or break but there is a lot riding on the final week of the season for Newcastle United.
European qualification – whether it is the Europa League or the Conference League – is within their grasp but two away day examinations of their mettle await over the next six days, first at direct rivals Manchester United before concluding the season at Brentford. Even allowing for Saturday’s underwhelming draw with Brighton, they know if they win both sixth is theirs.
After a difficult, bruising season at St James’ Park, that would be every bit as impressive as the fourth place that brought with it Champions League football 12 months ago.
“If you look at the course of the season and the setbacks we’ve had, the ups and downs, to be in the position we’re in is unbelievable,” Kieran Trippier said.
Trippier – back from injury for a short cameo on Saturday ahead of a likely start at Old Trafford on Wednesday – was the first signing of the new era, a sign that Newcastle were intent on competing. He knows the symbolic and financial importance of ensuring they are annual fixtures in European competition.
“With the way the club is going you need to be in Europe, you need to be competing at the top of the table. It’s massive,” he added.
“We’ve got to be honest, we’ve got to be realistic as well – we are ahead of schedule but that comes with expectation, it comes with pressure, we’ve got to deal with that as players.
“We’ve got a great squad and if that squad was fully fit, I think you look at the first game of the season and me personally I think it would have been a different season.
“There were always going to be injuries this season but I think ours have been ridiculous.”
If they fail to get there – and Chelsea’s win at the weekend means only goal difference separates the three teams in the mix – it will be those issues that will be the focus of the end-of-season summit planned for after they return from a post-season trip to Australia.
The planning process started last week when Yasir Al-Rumayyan, club chairman and the boss of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), flew to the North-east for a series of meetings. The club’s next director of football – to be announced in the next fortnight – and stadium expansion plans were on the agenda but so too was recruitment plans, budgets and how Newcastle will navigate financial fair play this summer.
There is a lot to do but Al-Rumayyan made a beeline for Bruno Guimaraes, who cut a downbeat figure afterwards, during the lap of honour. Newcastle hope, and have confidence he will, stay despite a £100m release clause kicking in for 30 days next month. Speculation around him and Alexander Isak is inevitable.
“For me I’m old and experienced enough to know not to listen to you guys who try to link them away,” Trippier said.
“I’m only joking about that. It is what it is, it’s media, you’ve got to forget about it internally because we can’t be interested in it.
“Of course these are our main players, you have to keep them if you want to move forward as a club. [We have] the perfect manager, the perfect ownership who want to go in the right direction. Again it’s not something I’m worried about.”
Neither is he interested in talking about Howe or some of the criticism he’s received this season. While Saturday was a microcosm of some of their issues – defensively the focus has been lost at times, offensively the intensity has sometimes dropped – there is total faith in the manager.
“I don’t think I even need to go into that topic,” Trippier said.
“Throughout the season you’ll have ups and downs, but what the manager has done for individuals at this club is nothing short of remarkable. He’s had a 49 per cent win ratio, it’s unbelievable.”
Wednesday is significant for Newcastle but they have just one league win at Old Trafford in 50 years. Even this version of Manchester United can turn it on when they need to.
“Of course they’re dangerous. It’s Man United. You’re going to Old Trafford. They’ve maybe not had some results they’d have liked but you always have to respect them,” Trippier, whose brothers are Old Trafford season ticket holders, said.
“Both teams know what’s at stake and they have quality players who can turn a game in an instant. We have to be wary of that. We know we need to win the game, nothing less.”
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