Eddie Howe has expressed pride in his Newcastle United squad despite their Champions League exit, acknowledging the 'if only' moments that cost them a place in the last 16. The Magpies were minutes away from qualification but ultimately fell to a 2-1 home defeat against AC Milan on Wednesday night, having led 1-0.
Howe lamented the controversial penalty decision in the 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain and the failure to defend a set-piece that led to Milan's equaliser. 'We were so close, so, so close while being really stretched with our resources,' he said. 'It could have been very different, and we should take confidence from the fact that in the hardest group, we were so close to achieving it.'
The 46-year-old head coach, who guided Newcastle to a top-four finish last season, emphasised that the Champions League run came ahead of schedule. 'In pre-season, no one was talking about top four or Champions League football,' he noted. 'You have to give the players a lot of credit, so you can't then hammer them because we couldn't follow that up.'
Howe confirmed that the European exit could affect the January transfer budget. 'Going out of Europe will have repercussions financially for us because we're going to lose revenue on games we could have had, but that's all been budgeted for,' he said.
Influential full-back Kieran Trippier will miss Saturday's Premier League clash with Fulham due to suspension, while midfielder Joe Willock and striker Harvey Barnes are unlikely to feature before the new year due to injuries.
