Journalist Ciaran Kelly of the Newcastle Chronicle joined The Football Show on Tuesday to discuss Newcastle.

Newcastle are back in the Champions League.

A 0-0 draw at home with Leicester secured their spot in the top four ahead of Liverpool. The state-funded club have made a big step forward in their plans to become the next Manchester City as they will now be an even more attractive destination for the world's top players.

Newcastle hope to take over from Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool as Manchester City's main rivals sooner rather than later.

Historically that has meant big changes both in terms of the playing squad and the coaching staff. So far, Eddie Howe has done a good job and won over the support of the club' fan base. He will need to continue to progress to levels he's never been at before to keep his job.

Ciaran Kelly thinks that Howe hasn't done anything to be doubted so far.

"You look at his Bournemouth teams," Kelly said.

"They were teams that would go toe-to-toe with the best in the business. He was well suited [to Newcastle] in that regard. But the big thing for me in terms of what's been so striking is defensively they've been so good.

"He went away during his break and that defensive stability that Newcastle have [came from that]. Very few teams have conceded fewer goals in Europe than Newcastle in the top leagues. That's given them a real foundation to build from.

"I think him embracing that side of the game has really shown how he has evolved as a manager. He's still a young manager and that's really been to Newcastle's benefit."

Newcastle round their season off with a trip to face Chelsea on Sunday.

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