Ameobi's talent and verve point to bright future for Newcastle

Craig Bellamy suspended for kicking an opponent. Alan Shearer suspended for elbowing an opponent. So what does Shola Ameobi, Newcastle's senior striker in their absence, do in the closing moments of Wednesday night's Champions' League tie in Barcelona? Push an opponent in the chest, off the ball, five yards in front of the referee.

Ameobi was only booked, and thus, unlike Bellamy and Shearer, will be available when the competition resumes in February. But had the Barcelona defender reacted like Marco Materazzi did to Bellamy's kick he could easily have been banned as well.

It is this mix of naivety and indiscipline that has undermined Newcastle's European campaign. It is not just their inability to control themselves. The team is far too open, with the midfield providing only a cursory barrier for a defence that needs all the help it can get. Barcelona's three goals could all have been prevented, and while Newcastle could have scored more themselves, even Real Madrid are learning that Europe's premier competition is now unlikely to be won by attacking prowess alone.

There were positive elements for Newcastle. In particular, Ameobi led the line with confidence, talent and verve, while Shay Given again showed what a good reader of the game he is. And the fans were magnificent as always. Louis van Gaal, whistled at by the home crowd even at 3-1 up, pointedly complimented the travelling support for its loyalty.

This was Barcelona's 10th straight win in this season's competition, a record, but unless it is matched by similar form in La Liga it will not delay Van Gaal's departure long. While Xavi and Juan Roman Riquelme orchestrated some impressive attacking play, and Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert looked sharp in attack, Barcelona remain a work in progress. Their forthcoming double-header with Internazionale will provide a much better indication of their Champions' League pedigree.

Unless one team wins both of those matches, and Newcastle complete a similar double over Bayer Leverkusen, Sir Bobby Robson's young team will shortly be left to concentrate on qualifying for next season's competition. Their prospects are good. Though they lie sixth in the Premiership they have a game in hand and have already played at Old Trafford, Highbury, Stamford Bridge and Anfield. They collected only one point from those games, but have yet to play any of these contenders at home where they have won seven and lost one of eight Premiership matches.

For their next test, at Southampton tomorrow, Ameobi expects to be back on the bench. He said: "Alan and Craig are our first-choice strike force and I am happy with that at the moment. But it will be disappointing to get a Champions' League goal and play well, then be dropped."

The England Under-21 striker added: "It was probably the best game I have ever played for Newcastle. I am disappointed we did not get the result for our fans, but from a personal point of view it is a massive confidence booster. We were playing against top-class players out there and I proved to myself what I can do, so it is fantastic for me to have played so well.

"The manager spoke to me before the game and asked me to try to lead the line like Alan Shearer does and that's what I tried to do."

Now he, and his team-mates, need to show they have absorbed what they have learned from the experience, on and off the ball. If they have, Newcastle's future will be bright.