‘They must be happy where we are and enjoying every second’: Eddie Howe says third-placed Newcastle must not be weighed down by expectations as they travel to face high-flying Arsenal
- Eddie Howe’s first game in charge of Newcastle was away against Arsenal
- His side lost 2-0 that day but have completely changed since then
- Newcastle now find themselves in third place with Arsenal leading the league
- Howe wants his high-flying Newcastle side ‘to believe they can win every game’
Eddie Howe says Newcastle will return to the scene of his first match in the dugout at Arsenal as a team changes.
In November last year, Howe, who missed his planned debut against Brentford due to Covid-19, took charge of the Magpies at the Emirates and saw his side comfortably beaten 2-0. Newcastle are left at the bottom of the Premier League and Arsenal in fifth. Tomorrow, they meet the top-placed Gunners and third-placed visitors.
Howe’s team in those early months were set to hold back and play on the counter-attack as they climbed out of the relegation zone. Now they are taking the game to the opposition and have won eight of their last 10. That is the same tactic they will use tomorrow night.
‘They must be enjoying the place we are at’: Eddie Howe says his side must feel no pressure
‘There are points within a game where you can look towards containment and trying to keep things tight for a while, but I don’t think it works to have that mindset as a starting point,’ said Howe.
‘How are you going to grow if that’s your consistent approach to these types of games? I’m not sure you can. We tend not to go that route. We want players to believe they can win every game, and to do that, you have to prepare like you believe you can. So, we try to be consistent with that.
‘For me, the players should not feel the weight of expectation, or any of those kinds of emotions. They should be enjoying the place we are in and enjoying every second, as long as they continue to unite and give their all to continue to achieve consistent results.’
Reflecting on last season’s fixture, he added: ‘That day (first game at Arsenal), we were in a different place, and we were just getting our understanding of the group.
‘It was a difficult afternoon. I thought Arsenal were better than us and we weren’t good enough to get a result. The funny thing is that in the difficult first days, when we didn’t get the results and things went against us, the group didn’t become broken and didn’t lose faith. Those first days, although difficult for all of us, were very important.’
Newcastle have improved greatly this year and currently occupy a place in the Champions League
Newcastle are currently third in the Premier League and will next face high-flying Arsenal
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