Man Utd vs. Newcastle - Eddie Howe: Pre-Match Press Conference
12/30/2024 05:00 AM
Golden nuggets from Howe before Newcastle visit rat-infested Old Trafford!
Newcastle United travel to Old Trafford on Monday night to face a struggling Manchester United side, looking to extend their winning streak and maintain their push for a top-four Premier League spot.
Eddie Howe's Magpies are in the best form through the first half of the season, having won their last three league matches against Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Aston Villa, scoring 11 goals and conceding none. The Magpies will enter Monday's clash sitting in seventh place but with one game in hand over Bournemouth and Manchester City right above them.
Manchester United, meanwhile, are enduring an even worse stretch under Ruben Amorim than they were with Erik ten Hag on the bench, just imagine! The Red Devils are sitting 14th in the league and they've lost four of their last five matches, including a 2-0 defeat to Wolves on Boxing Day.
Man Utd are without Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte through suspension, while Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, and Luke Shaw are among the injury absentees.
For Newcastle, Alexander Isak continues to lead the line with 12 goals in 19 appearances this season, supported by the in-form Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon. Tino Livramento is set to return from illness, which may see Kieran Trippier drop to the bench. Long-term absentees Sven Botman, Callum Wilson, and Nick Pope will remain sidelined.
Here are some of Howe's Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk
On the Magpies' momentum ahead of facing Man United, who have lost their last three matches in all competitions:
"They're very difficult fixtures regardless of when you go but I think, for us, we try and attack the game as we have done in recent weeks.
"We've had really good preparations to our games and the players seem to be enjoying themselves, entering the game with the right frame of mind to play.
"We've got to try and hit that sweet spot again without any distractions. I'm sure the players will be ready for the games."
On the sharing of goals amongst the squad:
"I think when we do play at our best, we do share the goals around. I don't think there's ever been one consistent source and we don't want there to be because then it's easier to stop.
"It's about the team functioning and enabling everyone to be creative and productive so you're seeing different players contributing in different games. I want goals from a huge range of different players and I think we're seeing that, which is great for us."
On Alexander Isak, with the Swedish striker aiming to score in his sixth consecutive Premier League game:
"My biggest thing with Alex is I'm evaluating his game on a daily basis and I want to try and push him on for more.
"His game is in a good place at the moment but my job is to not sit back and appreciate that. My job is to try and find areas that he can improve, push him towards that and never stop pushing him.
"He has all the ingredients in there but football never stops changing and evolving and he needs to evolve and change with it."
On Martin Dúbravka, who has recorded three consecutive Premier League clean sheets:
"(I'm) very pleased with Martin. It's never easy to come in for a goalkeeper in any situation when you haven't played for a while because it's about rhythm and confidence.
"Martin has picked it up from minute one. He's distributed the ball really well. That's been a huge thing in his game that has always been there and, against Aston Villa, you think back to a number of aerial claims he's taken under pressure, dealing with that aspect really well too. I've been very pleased with him.
"He works really hard with the goalkeeping coaches and his training. I see Martin at his maximum level everyday and because of that training, attitude and when he does get to come into the team, he can hit the ground running as he has."
On the unpredictability of this season's Premier League campaign:
"This year seems unpredictable. In terms of results, you see Chelsea lose (against Fulham) and there's upsets most weeks.
"I think that's great for the Premier League. You never quite know what is going to happen, that unpredictability brings excitement and I think the challenge for us is to be a team that is consistent and be a team that can produce results where not expected.
"I think we're going into a run of fixtures now which will really test us but it'll probably be one of the deciding factors in where we finish. We are gong to some tough away grounds but we look forward to those and try to continue our good form."
Howay!
- Date: Monday, Dec. 30th
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST / 14:00 EST
- Location: Old Trafford, Manchester (England)
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