The team lost both the Champions League and the Carabao Cup in the course of seven days this month, leaving them to contend with just two fronts as the new year draws near.
This has given rise to rumors from outside the city that head coach Howe’s position may be in jeopardy and that the Magpies could seriously underperform this season.
Newcastle lost to Chelsea in a quarterfinal Carabao Cup penalty shootout and was eliminated.
Newcastle lost to Chelsea in a quarterfinal Carabao Cup penalty shootout and was eliminated.
“There’s never been that pressure of this season or next season in terms of positions in the league and expectations to win competitions,” Howe stated in his remarks to everyone involved in the football club’s operations. All of that originates from within us.
There is ambition, of course, but there’s a distinction, in my opinion, between ambition and a target hanging over your head.
“Growth is what everyone wants to see here. They want to see the team progress and expand, and in the long run, I’m confident those desires will translate into concrete goals and tasks that we must complete.
However, at this particular moment, we’re just attempting to build and have done so quite swiftly because we started from such a low basis.
“In my opinion, we should accelerate that pace; everything needs to happen tomorrow, but we also need to acknowledge where we are right now.”
Howe took over as manager of Tyneside in November 2021, having been appointed by the club’s Saudi-backed owners only a few weeks after their ownership was finalized.
He first led Newcastle into the top four last season after guiding them to safety in the top division, solidifying his position under the new administration and winning over fans who are hungry for victory.
While he doesn’t want to lower expectations, he freely acknowledged that they had achieved one of their goals much earlier than anticipated and understood the importance of maintaining perspective.
Prior to the journey to Luton on Saturday, Howe stated, “I think we can accomplish great things.” I have a delicate balance because I believe in the team and the characters that make up the squad.
Eddie Howe on Tom Lockyer:
“Seeing the game back as we did, that was unquestionably a very trying time. It truly puts football into context—Tom’s health comes first. From everyone here, we would want to wish Tom and his family the very best.”
“However, I don’t want to put the players under any external pressure.”
“I want them to be able to express themselves and play in a really good environment. We also need to realize that we’re still very early in the journey and that we’re still building internally at the club.”
