Newcastle United manager, Eddie Howe, has recently responded to the criticism leveled at his team by former Manchester United captain and current TV pundit, Roy Keane. The critique came after Newcastle's 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.
Keane suggested that Newcastle’s issue – their single league victory at Old Trafford since 1972 – was a “head job”. This implies that the team struggles with a psychological barrier when playing against Manchester United. However, this accusation was swiftly dismissed by Howe.
The recent defeat saw Newcastle surrendering sixth place in the Premier League table to Chelsea. As they head into their final-day trip to Brentford, there is still a chance for them to reclaim sixth place ahead of Chelsea. However, there is also a risk of slipping further down to eighth behind Manchester United.
European football on the line for Newcastle
If they finish seventh and Erik ten Hag’s men win the FA Cup, it would mean no European football for Newcastle next season. For a club that finished fourth just 12 months ago and secured its return to Champions League after two decades away from it, missing out on European football would be quite disappointing.
This comes as an unfortunate endnote to what has been an overall frustrating campaign for them.
Eddie Howe, Newcastle United manager, said:
“We’ve lost some of the characteristics away from home that we need, but I think that lies in some of the players that we’ve been missing. Of course if it’s not there, we have to try to develop that, but I think that comes in part with experience.
“Certainly towards the end of the season, we’ve had a very young team – which is great in some senses – but also you can’t put a price sometimes on experience, especially away from home when the game is in the balance, so there’s certainly a lot for us to think about.”
“I think we’ll look back with a tinge of ‘what could have been’ in many aspects, whether you’re talking the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, the Champions League, the Premier League.
“I think we’ve done OK, I think we’ve done well – but it could have been so different, it could have been even more memorable, so that will be a frustration that will live with me.”
Howe defended recent performance woes
Newcastle's recent performances have not helped their cause either. Last Saturday’s 1-1 home draw in the Brighton match and the midweek loss at Old Trafford have seen them stall just when they needed momentum most.
Eddie Howe added:
“Before the last two games, we had the initiative and now we don’t and it’s not in our hands any more, but we have to deal with it.
“We can only control now our performance and our result against Brentford and we have to do everything we can to do our part because what you don’t want is for the other teams to make a mistake and we’re not there to capitalise on it.”
Despite these setbacks though, Howe remains confident in his team's ability to bounce back and gain tangible reward from what has been undeniably a tough season.
While critics like Keane may point out perceived psychological issues within the team when playing against certain opponents like Manchester United; it is clear that Howe and his team are focused on overcoming their recent performance issues and finishing the season on a high note.
