John Carver
Newcastle United, having started their campaign with a defeat against Barcelona, are now set to face Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels. Fans can catch the action live on the TNT Sports Prime Video channel. The team is looking to capitalize on their European journey, drawing inspiration from past experiences, including their memorable Champions League run under Sir Bobby Robson in the 2002/03 season.
John Carver, who assisted Sir Bobby Robson during Newcastle’s Champions League heroics, said: “You can overthink Europe. We played Juventus and one night spent two hours at the team hotel in a backroom team meeting on how we were going to stop Alessandro Del Piero. And it went on and on, how would we deal with Del Piero. The build-up to the game was getting to us a bit, with Sting turning up at the hotel before the big game in Turin. We’d sat for more than two hours discussing Del Piero, though, and most of the staff were falling asleep discussing the same dangers over and over. In the end I piped up and said: ‘Gaffer, why don’t we concentrate on us and we will deal with Del Piero’. Then Bobby turned round and said: ‘Good idea, let’s go to bed’. But Del Piero scored a free-kick in the game, and the truth was we were still adjusting to the Champions League. We ended up losing the first three games and qualifying by winning the next three, so you do learn as you go on and we beat Juve 1-0 at St James’ Park.”
Carver added: “Now that the Barca game is behind us, I think we should see how Newcastle can benefit from the new format. It is fantastic and the wider format will be better. It all leans towards Newcastle getting a richer experience of playing in Europe, which they need after so many years out of it.”
Newcastle’s current European draw has rekindled memories of past encounters with formidable opponents such as PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona, and Marseille. While nostalgia is in the air, Carver emphasized that the focus remains on the upcoming match in Brussels. The team aims to leverage these experiences to enhance their performance and gain valuable insights into European football.
The match against Union Saint-Gilloise represents not just a challenge but an opportunity for Newcastle to establish themselves in European competition once again. With the new format offering broader exposure and experience, Newcastle is poised to make the most of their return to the European stage.
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