Newcastle are excellent at home and excellent in the Champions League this season but improvements must be made elsewhere
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe celebrates with his players in front of the St James' Park crowd
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe celebrates with his players in front of the St James' Park crowd
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When Dan Burn faced the media on Tuesday evening's pre-match press conference, he presented an unerring confidence that Newcastle almost knew they would beat Athletic Bilbao at St James' Park.
Burn was confident the St James' Park crowd would be up for the Champions League and he was also confident Newcastle's players would match that intensity by raising their performance levels.
“As fans - and I am one - everyone gets excited about the Champions League fixtures," Burn said.
"If I said otherwise, I would be lying. I do get excited and until the club have been playing in the competition for a number of years, that will always be the case.
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"But the challenge for us now is a mentality challenge. The best teams in my opinion, and Man City are the best, whatever competition they go into and however many days rest they have had, they always set certain standards.
"I feel the challenge for us now that we are starting to get in these competitions more regularly, and more players are playing internationally, it is all about being ready constantly.
"That mentality should not rest on who we are playing, where we are playing and we should hit the standards we expect from each other."
Newcastle did turn up in the Champions League and they secured a third successive European win. Burn set the tone with a stunning first half header before Joelinton put the seal on a 2-0 win that lifted them up to sixth in the league table.
They have one foot in the Champions League knockout stages at the halfway point of the league phase and their improvement in European competition from two years ago should not be taken for granted.
But the challenge now for Newcastle is twofold. They have to back it up with a win over Brentford on Sunday to breathe fresh life into their Premier League campaign.
And they also have to find a way to win away from home - something they haven't done so far in the Premier League this season.
Eddie Howe said after the win over Athletic Bilbao he doesn't want it to become a thing that Newcastle's away form is always discussed but it will as long as it differs so wildly from their home form.
The win over Athletic Bilbao was their fifth successive win at St James' Park in all competitions and, before the game, Bruno Guimaraes used his programme notes to describe playing at home as their 'safe space'.
But if St James' Park is that place, Newcastle have to find a way of thriving outside of their comfort zone and that has to start in West London on Sunday.
As Burn says, teams like Man City have made a reputation for themselves of being able to do exactly that. If Newcastle want to take the next step on their quest to become an elite club, they are the perfect example to follow.