United face a crucial few weeks with Eddie Howe wary of squad size and expectation
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Image)
Eddie Howe admits that Newcastle United are in danger of becoming victims of their own success.
The Magpies went out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage to a rampant Man City in midweek but are still in the FA Cup and Champions League. They face a big task to play catch-up in the Premier League’s race for Europe this term but could still enjoy success in one domestic cup competition and get to the last 16 of the Champions League if they beat Qarabag over two legs.
Suggesting Newcastle’s unprecedented run in both domestic and European competition means his squad face challenges the club has never encountered before, Howe said: “Possibly. I don’t know when you pass that test but possibly as a football club we are still adjusting to that and getting better at certain things and that evolution will continue throughout time.
“I think this has been an unprecedented amount of games just because of our length of time in the Carabao Cup, our Champions League play-offs.
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“There is extra burden on us but burden that we’ve created ourselves by trying to go deep in various competitions.
“We won’t get much praise for that, but that in part has maybe impacted some performances. It is in the pursuit of excellence and trying to win a competition and trophy for this club.”
Howe was also asked whether his squad is strong enough to compete on three fronts.
Given Newcastle did not make any additions in the January window, Howe must go into battle with what he has.
He said: “It all depends on injuries. With a full bill of health, the squad is more than strong enough.
“With one or two injuries, I still think it’s strong enough, but if you get four or five injuries in one position, then possibly not.
“But it’s a really difficult thing to manage because if you have too big a squad, you have problems the other way; if you have too thin a squad, you have problems the other way. It’s getting that balance right.
“At the start of the season, I really liked the look of the team, the squad. It had a really good feel to it.
“Of course, through the season we’ve had different blows, players missing – and key players missing – none more so in the last few weeks, really, where our midfield has been hit, and of course our backline has been hit for a long time now and that’s probably been the biggest concern for us.”
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