What would have been Newcastle's position if they were in the Champions League this season?

Newcastle United has been to a great start this season. Winning three out of the first four fixtures, the club has got themselves to a brilliant 3rd position on the PL Table. While their overall campaign hadn't been convincing this far, the club's recent comeback win has instilled hope in the fans that they might do something special this season.

What would have been Newcastle's position if they were in the Champions League this season?

Unfortunately, the Magpies club had an underwhelming last campaign which saw them dropping to the 7th position from a respectable 4th finish in 2022/23. Ultimately, Eddie Howe's side isn't a part of European football currently, despite looking much more competitive now. Thus, the question arises, what would be Newcastle's position if they were active participants in the Champions League this season?

Recently, a banter between host Simon Jordan and football pundit Danny Murphy was seen, in which the two put together different points on Newcastle's fate. Not to forget, the Magpies club despite being a part of the 2023/24 faced early elimination, having been drawn in the group consisting of PSG, Dortmund, and AC Milan.

Moreover, Aston Villa, who are one of the biggest competitors for Newcastle, recently defeated Young Boys 3-0 in their UCL opener. On the same, upon being questioned whether Aston Villa would enjoy the same fate as Newcastle's previous UCL outing, Danny Murphy commented that they might make a significant deep run because they are in a better position than Newcastle.

In Murphy's words,

"“They’re better set because they’ve got a deeper squad.”"

- Danny Murphy

However, Simon Jordan had the say that the two scenarios are difficult to compare considering Aston Villa has got some winnable games, while Newcastle was in an unlucky group. Backing the Magpies club, Jordan said they would have had a better campaign had they been in this new format competition.

In Jordan's words,

"“I think it’s a really unfair comparison. If Newcastle were playing in a tournament that had eight games of a mixed bag where you might only need three [wins] to get through, I would tip Newcastle to get out of the group if the role was reversed.”"

- Simon Jordan

Analyzing from a neutral perspective, it is much certain given the number of resources and the kind of young talents Newcastle has, the club possesses the ability to enjoy a significant Champions League campaign. In particular, the club's recent victory against Wolves properly demonstrated the unit's mentality of never giving up.

Considering the resurgence of their superstar Sandro Tonali, alongside the rise of talents like Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes, it could be pretty much said that they surely would have ended in a better position than they did in the 2023/24 UCL campaign. However, going forward, with the club currently having to focus on only the domestic league, Howe's side would want to return to the Champions League soon and ensure, their presence on the biggest stage.