Newcastle United will be pipped to the top four by Tottenham Hotspur, due to the lack of goals from the misfiring Magpies.
That's according to Jermaine Jenas, who played for both in his career and believes that despite Eddie Howe's men enjoying a phenomenal season in which they've reached a major final and consistently been in the top four all term, they'll just miss out on the promised land, come the end of the campaign.
Speaking to FourFourTwo as part of the B&Q Energy Savers initiative, Jenas says that despite predicting Tottenham to just beat Newcastle to the punch, he believes that the future is bright on Tyneside and that he's been wowed by Howe this season.
“I think Spurs will finish in the top four, I think Newcastle will just miss out,” Jenas says. “Newcastle have had a sensational season, there’s no doubt about that – but their [lack of] goals concern me. The final at the weekend illustrated that.
“Miguel Almiron has had an electric season and they’ve squeezed every ounce out of him – but can they maintain that until the end of the season? I’m not sure he can. Callum Wilson since coming back from the World Cup has been on a downward spiral with his form. He’s not been able to meet the form that got him to the World Cup.
“And Alexander Isak has had his injury problems: he’s going to be the leading light long-term. So the goals are not coming so easily to them and I think that’s where they’re going to fall a little bit short, come the end of the season.”
Jenas was brought to Newcastle by the legendary Sir Bobby Robson – and he believes that another beloved English coach in Eddie Howe has to be the man to take Newcastle to the next step, regardless of whether the club reach the Champions League this time around.
“I think that the way that Eddie Howe has handled the whole situation at the club, in regards to the fact that they could probably go and get whoever they want whenever they want, they’re going about it in the right way,” he says.
“They’re bringing in good young talent, they’re taking their time with it. There’s definitely reason for the club to be realistic. I think Newcastle United will be a club back challenging for Champions League places like they were back when I was at the football club. That was paramount to attracting the biggest players.
“As we saw at the weekend with that fanbase, they can go on for the next few years to be a big force when it comes to challenging for league titles. I really hope Eddie Howe spearheads that challenge because you can tell that he’s really grown from his experience at Bournemouth and he’s ready for that challenge.”
A little lower in the pyramid than clubs targeting European football, Jenas has been getting involved in B&Q's Energy Savers initiative to take a trip down memory lane to the grounds that he grew up around. The initiative from the home improvement retailer aims to help community spaces to become more energy efficient, showcasing simple tips that people can also implement at home to save energy.
“So it’s an energy-saving campaign that B&Q have got involved in with myself,” he explained. “We took a trip down to Welling United in the south of London and the idea behind it is obviously about community spaces and finding ways to make sure that these special places to the community can save energy, from changing to LED lights to maintaining heat and giving them a few tips and tricks essentially to make sure that some already very tight budgets are saved further.
“We’ve got a current climate where the cost of living is a huge topic for everyone and when it comes to these community spaces and how important they are to everybody – and not just football grounds but other places, I’m talking about – those tiny details are huge for keeping the lights on and keeping community spaces open.
“A big part of this campaign that B&Q want to do is they want to get local people to vote for their own community spaces, they want to go up and down the country to round about 300 and go in there to find ways for these spaces to be improved for saving energy, saving pennies and keeping them running.
“Whether that’s football clubs staying open, kids coming back to a centre or your local book club, I think wherever that may be, these spaces that people can go to and get a bit of escapism right now is very important.”
B&Q has teamed up with Jermaine Jenas as part of B&Q Energy Savers initiative that shows how easy it is to save energy at home, whilst supporting community spaces across the country. Find out more at diy.com/energy-saving
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