Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has he will only set a target of "a positive ending" to the season for the Magpies - and does not want to burden his players with the pressure of any particular aim.
Howe says his squad must now put their Carabao Cup final defeat at Wembley against Manchester United firmly behind them. When asked what would represent for Newcastle - after an 11th place finish last term - Howe opted against discussing Champions League credentials or even Europa League or Europa Conference League spots.
Howe told Chronicle Live: "Difficult question to answer. What would that look like for us I don't know. We have 15 games left we want to try to win as many as we can and see where we finish.
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"I am not going to sit here right now and set a target. I do not think that would be healthy for the players. Internally I will be driving them as much as I can for a positive ending."
With Man City up next before a clash at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers next Sunday, Howe was asked if the final 15 matches are essentially a "mini season".
The Newcastle boss said: "There are 15 games left, the line has been drawn and the cup run is over. We have 15 games to see what we can do."
Newcastle's Wembley defeat against Man United resulted in plenty of discussion that the Red Devils won it because they had the experience and steel of players who had been to the big occasions and won before. Brazilian midfielder Casimero, England star Marcus Rashford and former Real Madrid star Raphael Varane, who has won it all, were all cited as the men who made the difference against a growing Newcastle team in terms of experience on the big stage.
So is the key to Newcastle's success snapping up players who have a haul of medals and honours on their CV?
Howe said: "It's potentially difficult for us I think. Ideally, yes you sign players who've been there and done it and they are still in their best physical condition to do it for many years.
"Those players are probably unattainable. So what we need, when the time comes in the transfer window, is to invest in the right players. That is always a difficult process."
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