Eddie Howe has been speaking ahead of Newcastle United’s Premier League clash with Arsenal on Saturday.
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking ahead of his side’s home clash with Arsenal this weekend, with both teams heading into the St James’ Park needing a win. The Gunners are now five points off top spot and needing to pick up three points to avoid losing further ground, while things have taken a turn for the Magpies.
Howe’s men started well but have tailed off significantly, currently in the bottom half with just 12 points from nine games. Pressure is building for Newcastle, and there will be plenty of pressure on this one at St James’ Park, especially after the drama that engulfed this fixture last season, adding extra spice to this encounter.
“They are a very good team with a very good manager,” Howe said in his pre-match press conference. “Now we play one of the most consistent teams in the Premier League for the last couple of years so the challenge for us is never easy, but we’re at home. Arsenal have done very well this season. They are very good from set plays and a physical team. We need to be ready for that test.”
Newcastle are currently sweating on the fitness of key players Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak, with Howe adding: “They both feel okay, we will assess how they feel today, 48 hours after the game. They have both had niggling injuries. We’ll make a decision today. We need to make sure whoever enters the pitch against Arsenal is in the best physical condition.”
There will be no chance of game time for Callum Wilson, though, with Howe saying: “Callum is doing okay, he’s building his load again. There was no real injury but just a feeling in his body that he couldn’t push as hard as he wanted. We’ll see how he is but probably with the two-week gap best to leave it.”
Newcastle are now winless in five Premier League games, and concern is building despite a Carabao Cup win over Chelsea during the week. “Yes, but I think it is related to winning. When you are winning games, if you are leading games, everything is different compared to when you are chasing game,” Howe said of the situation.
“In part, it was over-hyped and talked about more because we were in that position a lot that season. This season, we have not been in that position as often, so you end up being the reactive team trying to chase the game effectively. We don’t want to be in that position, we want to be the team in control. But certainly, doing whatever it takes to win – as long as it is within the rules – I’m a firm believer in that.”
With the St James’ Park atmosphere so often making a difference, the Magpies boss has called for the Newcastle fans to make things difficult for the Gunners on Saturday. “We want to make it as uncomfortable as we can for any opposition team coming to St James’ Park,” he said. “That’s the beauty of playing at home. We don’t want to make this a comfortable environment for any team.”
