Howe deserves praise so far and he will keep
EDDIE Howe’s impact was clear even in defeat. At Goodison Park on Thursday, Newcastle ran themselves into the ground throughout their third game in eight days.
That the players looked out of gas, tired and in need of some recuperation is a testament to just how hard the squad has been working and how high the bar has been set by their 44-yearold head coach.
The run of form since the embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of League One Cambridge has been nothing short of incredible – 20 points from a possible 30. A nine-game unbeaten run has taken United away from the drop zone when at the turn of the year, many could only see a drop into the Championship.
It’s for that very reason that the defeat to Everton is frustrating but hardly devastating. Newcastle lie nine points clear of the drop zone, which is remarkable considering how shambolic the first half of the season was.
United’s unbeaten run was always going to come to an end but that when it did, the performances have not been totally calamitious or disastrous. Against Chelsea, they played well and without the ineptitude of VAR could arguably have won that game.
Against, Everton the performance wasn’t good but neither was it an outing to start mass panic; it was just one of those days. Even with the helping hand of VAR, United lost to 10-man Everton but the defeat needs to be put into context.
The Magpies are comfortably above the drop zone, and a run of three away games in quick succession has stretched them. The great run of form has been done without their number nine, Callum Wilson, while Kieran Trippier has missed the last six games – yet United still picked up 10 points.
After illness and injury hit their squad just hours before the game at Chelsea, such a hard-fought game against the champions of Europe was always going to have a knock-on effect on the game at Goodison. Howe welcomed back Joelinton and Joe Willock to the XI but given their previous absence, and the importance of the game to Everton, it was always felt things were against Newcastle.
Howe went into the game with the aim to win. Afterwards, he stated in no uncertain terms that Newcastle are not safe ‘yet’ and the result ‘hurt.’ His frustration at the drop in level of performance was clear.
“The game was there for us,” he said. “We made some poor decisions by our high standards with the ball.”
And that’s the key part of the context needed. Howe has set such a high standard at Newcastle that it will be impossible to match every game. Defeats will come, and his meticulous nature will see him analyse every movement, and look to improve his team.
Howe will not dish out any excuses but instead focus on what his side did badly. That in itself is refreshing.
Previous managers would have used the quick turnaround in games, the loss of Jonjo Shelvey, and the delay caused by the protester who tied himself to a goalpost, as excuses. But for Howe, the fault lies in-house, and he can remedy it with the warm-weather camp in Dubai.
It’s the standard he has set at Newcastle and importantly, the players are on board.
Fabian Schar, who captained United against Everton, said: “We have to be at our highest level to get something in this league. We weren’t yesterday, now is time to work even harder.”
Expectations will keep rising, and that chase is exciting. The players fell short against Everton but after two months of just about bursting through it, it shows just how far they’ve come.