Howe’s season of harsh lessons can’t end soon enough
FOR Newcastle, this was like being kept at arm’s length in a play fight by a dismissive older brother. They were slower, weaker and less savvy than Manchester City.
A defeat that felt inevitable from the moment Bernardo Silva opened the scoring on 13 minutes — he added a second on the half hour — means their wait for a domestic trophy will extend to the biblical definition of a lifetime, three score years and 10.
But how many years will be added to that? Last summer, many were measuring the expected wait in months, not years. Eddie Howe had taken Newcastle into the Champions League and the Saudi-funded club were about to upset the Premier League’s established order. Saturday was a reminder of them being kept in their place for a while yet. This season has been bruising for Newcastle, literally and metaphorically. Their transfer business last summer was short-sighted in that it was long-sighted — they did not buy enough players for the here and now. At the Etihad, only one of their four signings featured, and that was loanee Lewis Hall for 28 minutes. At present, they have injured players in the treatment room and on the pitch.
How can any team expect to compete with City with at least four starters not at 100 per cent? Yes, bad luck has contributed to the injuries but they have also been a result of inexperience in navigating four competitions. Pep Guardiola said as much after this game. ‘Newcastle took a big step and reached another level, but when it’s the first time, it’s not easy,’ he said. ‘Last season was unbelievable, but they played one game a week. This season they’ve played every three days and it’s completely different. ‘When you have experience, you can handle the training and the minutes. I’m pretty sure they will learn the lessons and take decisions to try to still be there (at the top).’ One decision they must take — and will — is to back Howe, for he is the reason they were in quarter-finals.
But recruitment, training methods, diagnosis and treatment, playing style and personnel all need to be looked at. They proved last season it is not always about money. Right now, though, they are going around in circles. When a season that has left them in a spin finally slows, it will need clear thinking if they are to land a blow on the likes of City. MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Ortega 6; Walker 6.5, Dias 6.5, Akanji , Gvardiol 6.5; Rodri .5, Kovacic .5; FODEN 8, Silva .5, Doku (Bobb min); Haaland 6.5 (Alvarez 8 ). Scorer: Silva 13, 31. Booked: None. Manager: Pep Guardiola .
NEWCASTLE (5-3-2): Dubravka 6.5; Murphy 6.5, Lascelles 5.5, Schar 5.5, Botman 5 (Krafth 84), Burn 5 (Hall 62, 6); Longstaff 4.5 (Miley 62, 6), Guimaraes , Willock 5 (Anderson 62, 6.5); Gordon 5 (Almiron 62, 5.5), Isak 5.5. Booked: Schar, Lascelles, Almiron. Manager: Eddie Howe 5.
Referee: Simon Hooper . Attendance: 52,126.