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The former Premier League winner handed some advice to Newcastle United after their Carabao Cup Final win over Liverpool.
Former Manchester City and Aston Villa star Micah Richards has told Newcastle United where their priorities should lie following their historic Carabao Cup Final win against Liverpool.
Just two years after suffering heartbreak in the final of the same competition as Manchester United inflicted a 2-0 defeat on the Magpies, Eddie Howe and his players made no mistake with a performance full of energy, intensity and quality as they ended a long wait for major domestic silverware with a 2-1 win against the Reds. After 70 years waiting for a domestic trophy and a 56-year wait for any major trophy, there were understandable wild scenes on and off the pitch as the celebrations got underway after a painstaking 11 minutes of injury-time.
Joy, elation and relief enveloped the travelling Geordie masses and their celebrations were mirrored on the pitch as Howe, his coaching staff and players celebrated securing a place in Magpies folklore and qualification for next season’s Europa Conference League. However, with just two months of the season remaining, United will hope to build on the momentum gained by their historic triumph and land a return to the Champions League just two years after they competed against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan in UEFA’s premier cup competition.
Retaining the services of a number of key players will be essential if Howe is to built on Sunday’s Wembley win and their success under the arch can only enhance the feeling that Newcastle can become consistent challengers for major trophies over the coming seasons. Richards believes there is one key man who should be at the top of the agenda for the St James Park hierarchy as they look to retain several integral members of Howe’s squad and boost their chances of replicating the memorable scenes that were played out in the aftermath of Sunday’s win.
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He told The Rest is Football podcast: “I think the next step for Newcastle now is tie down Isak. They cannot let Isak leave the football club because what he gives to this team is just remarkable. We had that debate a couple of months ago now, a couple of weeks ago, and he was talking about, is he world-class? And my opinion on it, I do believe he is at that level, but you've got to prove it over a long period of time.
“And he's proven what he did to Arsenal, home and away, exceptional and today against Van Dijk and Konate, arguably the best centre-back partnership in Europe, people are saying, and I just think he's (Howe) got all the big decisions right, you know, I think in midfield, like you mentioned earlier on, they're really energetic, they've got that tenacity, and he's just built a real feel-good factor around the club, and he deserves all the credit, he really does.”
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