Newcastle United full back Emil Krafth reflects on two missed opportunities against Everton.
Emil Krafth feels Newcastle United must become more ruthless in the Premier League’s final stretch if they are to qualify for Europe next season, which begins today at Craven Cottage.
In a campaign marred by one injury after another, with Krafth now filling in at right-back due to Kieran Trippier’s layoff, the Sweden international knows that a European spot for Newcastle this season will be considered a success. With eight games remaining, United is within striking reach of winning the Europa League or Europa Conference League.
Krafth told Chronicle Live before of the Fulham match: “We were hoping to win the Everton game because we knew it was a big game. I believe we deserved more, though, because we had solid chances to make it 2-0.
“But you have to end the game, and if you don’t, they will always have a chance to come back. So we needed to finish it, kill it, and ensure they couldn’t get back to 1-1. “Then the game is over.”
Newcastle have rebounded from a poor run before the international break, which left them in tenth place. Four points from home games against West Ham and Everton have maintained them within striking distance of the Hammers, who currently hold what may be Europe’s bottom spot.
Krafth reflected: “Six out of six would have been perfect, but it is what it is, and if you don’t use your chances, the opposition will always have an opportunity. So we only need to be clinical in front of the goal.”
The ideal scenario for Newcastle this weekend is to defeat the Cottagers and hope West Ham slips up at Wolves on Saturday afternoon. Then United will be hoping for a favour from Liverpool to defeat Manchester United at Old Trafford, reducing the gap to one point with the top six.
The Sweden full-back stated, “We still have the opportunity to enter Europe with eight games remaining, and that is what we are fighting for.” We need to win games like Everton, particularly at home. We need to win every game at home, I believe. We have eight finals left, and we need to score as many points as possible.
