Eddie Howe Bournemouth
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s performance following their 3-1 defeat to West Ham United. The Magpies struggled at the London Stadium, leading Howe to make significant changes at halftime, including substituting Anthony Gordon, Emil Krafth, and Nick Woltemade. Howe emphasized the need for improvement as they prepare to face Athletic Bilbao in midweek.
Eddie Howe said: “The dynamism wasn’t there. The physicality and the energy were missing in our performance. The difficult thing to take from that is we rotated the team a lot in midweek for freshness in the players. That did not seem to be there. It is hugely frustrating for us. That was a poor performance.”
Howe continued: “The numbers aren’t good for us in terms of our away form so it would be foolish for me to dismiss that outright. We have a very good group of professionals who care deeply and want to do well. But certainly we have not replicated our home form away. We have not got the points we wanted away from home. Some of the performances were very good, we just didn’t turn them into wins. Today was a dip in terms of performance. That was the worst we have played during that run of games. A period of reflection for us is important.”
Explaining the halftime changes, Howe said: “I was really disappointed with the first half. It started so well, we scored early. We let it slip away and the longer that went on the more frustrated I was with my performance. We were unrecognisable in certain aspects of our game. I made the change to try to bring some energy, different dynamics, different relationships on the pitch, I thought we were better in the second half, but not great and that is why we lost the game.”
Howe also remarked: “I don’t think it looked like a Newcastle team that we have seen in recent seasons. The body language, the collective spirit on the pitch, loads of little things weren’t there. I don’t think it was tactical or technical. It was a by-product of us not being where we wanted to be mentally. We have done a lot of work with the players but this is a difficult one to work out right now and try to learn from today. Hopefully it is a turning point we can use to our advantage.”
Reflecting on the substitutions, Howe admitted: “I could have taken anyone off. That is a reflection of where we were at that stage of the game. It is very rare for me to feel that way. I don’t think I have since I have been Newcastle manager. I felt that the team needed shaking up at half-time, that’s why I did what I did.”
Newcastle’s defeat to West Ham marked a concerning dip in form, particularly in their away matches. Despite an early lead, the team failed to maintain their momentum, resulting in a disappointing performance that left Howe questioning the team’s mental readiness. The manager’s decision to make multiple substitutions at halftime underscores the urgency to address the issues ahead of their upcoming fixture against Athletic Bilbao. Howe’s candid assessment of the team’s shortcomings highlights the need for reflection and improvement as they aim to turn this setback into a catalyst for future success.
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