Eddie Howe Bournemouth
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has expressed confidence in the dedication and focus of his team throughout the season, regardless of victories or defeats. Despite the team’s slump to 12th place in the Premier League standings, Howe remains content with the players’ commitment to his methods at Benton and believes that their attitude should not be questioned. Historically, Newcastle players have been known to lose motivation during challenging times in the top-flight years at St James’ Park. When questioned about the importance of his players’ commitment to him, Howe emphasized:
Eddie Howe said, “It (the buy-in) is everything. If you don’t have the players with you in terms of tactical preparation and buying into how you are going to play and how you are going to win a game, then I think you are beaten before you start. The players have to want to go to work. They have to want to implement everything you do and that’s in and out of possession. I don’t think we’ve had an issue with that not at all. Some of our delivery has been slightly inconsistent but I don’t think we have had an issue with wanting to do it or wanting to do well. As always, there are always issues and problems that arise on a daily basis and you are just trying to steer with the team in a good direction.”
Following their 2-0 victory over Chelsea, many fans speculated whether the highly-praised high-pressing version of Newcastle, which they admired under Howe, had returned. The victory was marked by an impressive high press that contributed to the opening goal, where Joelinton and Sandro Tonali’s efforts set up Alexander Isak’s goal. When asked if Howe’s team, which was notably difficult to beat in the 2022/23 season, has returned, Howe commented on the Chelsea match:
Eddie Howe said, “In terms of a high-pressing performance, the off-the-ball plan, yes. But as I say, every game is different. If you’re playing against a team that plays a different way, you wouldn’t be able to execute that as effectively so that’s where you have to understand that if you don’t see a blueprint of that every week, it’s not necessarily because of our players’ input into the game. Every game is a different challenge. You still have to find a way to try to win and defend your goal effectively. I thought we defended our goal really well and not just in the press but around our box there were a lot of good challenges and blocks and defensive instincts taking over. So I was really pleased with how we defended.”
