Callum Wilson rejects Newcastle United criticism just 20 days before Carabao Cup final
Callum Wilson has dismissed suggestions Newcastle United players are already focusing on the Carabao Cup final.
Arguably the worst performance of the season at Manchester City last weekend had supporters fearing a repeat of two years ago. With a first Wembley appearance for 23 years, the Magpies went into the final against Manchester United having won just once from seven fixtures.
Ultimately, Newcastle lost but they have a chance of redemption on March 16. Liverpool go into the clash as favourites but the Magpies boast attacking stars who can hurt any team in world football.
However, enthusiasm around Tyneside threatens to disrupt another key focus: Champions League qualification. The club’s long-term future would benefit more than a cup win should the Magpies return to UEFA’s top table next season.
Yesterday, Newcastle scraped past Nottingham Forest 4-3 despite boasting a three-goal advantage at half-time. That criticism reared its head again but, speaking to the matchday programme, Toon number nine Wilson insisted the Carabao Cup final has not taken precedence.
“But if anyone thinks next month’s Carabao Cup final was a factor (in poor display against Manchester City), that’s definitely not the case,” he said. “Since we progressed to the final we had another game in a cup competition where we beat Birmingham, which demonstrated that we’re still going about our business in the right way.
“No team in the world wants to go into a cup final out of form - we want to go there with everyone feeling good, feeling confident - so it’s vital that we play to our full potential in every game between now and 16th March with the intention of getting the best possible results.
“There’s still a lot of football to be played until that point, so that match at Wembley can’t be at the forefront of our minds right now. There’s no denying that we want to win silverware for the club, but we also want to be playing in Europe next term and there’s so much to play for in the league.”