Newcastle boss Eddie Howe on Newcastle 2-0 away victory in Carabao Cup Semi Finals 1st leg and discussions on Martin Dubravka's contract and future at the club
07/01/2025
Emirates Stadium, London, UK
07/01/2025
Emirates Stadium, London, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00Yeah, it was a really good win for us, we're really pleased, but we're also very aware that the second leg is, of course, a big break between them, but it's still very much game on and we've done half the work.
00:17Arsenal haven't beaten you at home since April last year and obviously you guys don't have a good record here. How satisfying was it to come here and put all that to bed?
00:29Yeah, I mean, I think our record is, well, again, well known to us. It's similar to Manchester United, really, in the fact that we have to start to try and win at any ground that we go to and go into any game really confident that we're capable of doing that.
00:42And I think sometimes you can only... it's easier to do it once you've done it, if that makes sense.
00:47So I think these are big wins for us. Hopefully that can help us in future games, in future moments, but it's been a brilliant response from the players to a difficult run. I still go back to the Brentford game and how we felt after that match and a brilliant response from the whole group, really, to that disappointing result.
01:05Can you manage your career? Can you remember a week or eight days like that where you've gone to Old Trafford, Tottenham and then here and won each of them? It's been an incredible week.
01:16I think if you look back through my record, I don't think you'll find another one like it. I think when you look at the fixture list and you see what's ahead and you think, well, that's going to be a real challenge for us.
01:27In real quick succession as well. I mean, the players definitely played today fatigued and we knew they would be from the Tottenham game. We put a lot... that was a big physical game, so we knew coming here it was going to be a tough ask, really, mentally and physically.
01:39We also had a difficult half-time. There's a few players at half-time feeling different things. So that was a tough 15 minutes because we knew the importance of the second half and our game sort of... we lost our strength in the game.
01:52You could see that, I think, in the second half and it was a case of just managing the game. But Alex was just feeling his hamstring a little bit, Sven was feeling a groin. We had a couple of other players struggling, so we had to manage them.
02:05Eddie, you must be so excited for this second leg at St James' Park, thinking back to Southampton and taking that lead back home.
02:16Yeah, I think, genuinely, I think my focus is already turning to Bromley. Genuinely, I think, pleased with the result, but we know there's such a gap between the next tie that really we have to put it to the back of our minds because we have the Bromley game, as I say, and then we have big Premier League games to come. We're in good form in the Premier League, so really they take on huge importance.
02:35But this game will swing around quite quickly and we'll look forward to it when it does.
02:40You keep being asked about Alexander Isaac all the time because it just seems that he seems to find new levels in each game. Is he the most feared striker around right now?
02:50I don't know. I think he played very well in the first half today. He looked really good physically. His pace and movements were giving them a problem and I think he looked free. I was delighted with how he performed. He took his goal really well.
03:08But then we knew second half that we needed to manage him. He's so important. We can't lose him. We can't risk losing him. So hopefully he's okay.
03:17And just finally from me, you spoke about the difficult half-time with Ligoles and fatigue and you brought on some of your more fringe players like Miguel Almiron. How pleased were you with their contribution?
03:32You need everybody in the squad and I said this to the players before the game, how important everyone is and especially for us. We have a small, tight-knit group. I've always said that. We don't have a huge... I think again everyone's here that's fit. Obviously we had Bruno and Fabian's suspensions which hit us hard.
03:49But we value everybody and those players that came on today made a huge contribution at a time when the game was still really delicately poised. We didn't want to waste our good work. So I think everyone defended really well at the end of the game.
04:01Alexander has now scored 50 goals in all competitions since he joined you. That's a magnificent return, isn't it?
04:12It is a brilliant return and I think every team needs a good striker and we feel when Callum's fit we've got two very, very good strikers that offer something different but really elevate our play.
04:24And I think you can see when Alex is in that mood tonight as he was in the first half he is a brilliant player for us to use in various ways. I think the players really appreciate him.
04:35It goes without saying also he's doing the hard work as well. He's not just scoring goals, he's doing the other bits that we need him to do to help the team be effective.
04:42Just on the overall team performance, it really felt as if you did a great job on Arsenal. Every player knew what they were doing. It was a really fantastic set-up. You must be delighted with that aspect of everyone sticking to their jobs.
04:57I think the players genuinely do. I think we've got a really good mindset and mentality to whatever we ask them to do they will try and follow it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. That's football for you.
05:09But no, I've never had an issue with their application or their ability to decipher what we ask them to do. I'm really pleased today because we wanted to be ourselves. We wanted to be brave and attack Arsenal and to be very much ourselves.
05:25I thought we were in the first half. I thought the second half was a very different game. We managed it okay in the end. I think we had a couple of lucky escapes but of course we'll review them and have a look at it and see what we could have done better.
05:40Martin McGrath was saying goodbye to the fans after the game. Can you give us anything on that?
05:47No, I've got nothing to add to that. Of course with Martin we've been preparing this game. We've had a lot of games in quick succession so I've not spoken to anybody about that.
05:58Can you afford to lose Martin at the minute because he's probably one of your most informed players?
06:02He's playing very, very well and certainly from my side I wouldn't want to lose him at all.
06:07On everything that's gone on at the minute without looking too quiet, do you feel like Newcastle's one of the most exciting clubs, probably in Europe at the minute, but everything that's going on, the excitement from the fans?
06:18I think we're just really happy to win. I don't know, I'll let everyone else judge that question.
06:28Heidi, you are fifth in the Premier League, just one point behind fourth. Is Europe part of your aspirations and how are you balancing that with your cup questions?
06:40I think we are very much step by step. I think we have been for a number of weeks. The Christmas period is always busy, a real big physical ask. So I think we'll look at the Bromley game again in isolation, we'll try and pick a team that's good enough to try and win that game.
06:57And then we go back to the Premier League. We're trying to achieve great things, but we're having to take small steps to try and do that. I think most importantly for any aim in any league or any competition, we need the players playing at near their best levels. I think we're getting close to that.
07:16I know I take your point about those five games to go to the second leg, but this epic quest that Newcastle are on to win their first domestic trophy is clearly going to be a preoccupation in the back. Do you recognise it as one of the greatest quests in British sport for a club to actually finally win something?
07:41I don't think you can necessarily think like that if you're me. I've got no problem with our supporters thinking whatever they need to think or whatever they want to think. But I think when you're in my shoes, you've got to be strategic and you've got to plan well and you've got to look just at what's ahead of you in the next few days. And that's what we've always done and that's what we'll always do.
08:04This game is there in the future and we really look forward to it when it comes round, but it now goes out of my focus totally until it needs to come back in.
08:13Can you give an insight into what it's like managing a team that's on a run of wins like this? They obviously have to show a bit of everything tonight to defend and attack very well as well. Are they going out onto the pitch knowing that they can handle whatever's thrown at them?
08:32I think it doesn't really change in terms of the management of the group. I think if you're winning or losing, you still have problems that you encounter and not everything's always rosy. There's still challenges in management. But I think there's just a different feeling. I think you're doing those things and encountering those issues in a positive frame of mind.
08:55The players are certainly positive and they believe in each other at the moment. And winning is the only thing that can really, truly glue them together in that way. So the challenge for us is to try and harness that and keep it and not throw it away. And sometimes that can be easily done. So we don't take it for granted. I think that's the most important thing. We're really enjoying it and treasuring the moment.
09:14It's maybe not quite as big a deal as winning here or winning at Old Trafford, but I think that's the first time you've won a competitive game without Bruno's involvement. I think that's right. How big a deal is that, that you're able to do that without arguably your most important player?
09:44Also Fabian's absence. He's been a really key player for us, very reliable. So I think we've won today without those two players, which is a great sign for us. And it means there is strength and depth within the squad, although not in huge numbers. And as I said, at half-time today was a real sort of warning to us that the players are giving everything physically and we need to look after them.
10:08You said you wanted to be ourselves and you wanted to take the game to Arsenal and that was a big part of your win, I think. Was the selection of Joe Willock a reflection of that? Because there were other midfield options who were maybe a little bit more defensive or have those attributes more, but you went for Joe Willock to keep you on the front foot?
10:31Yeah, we went for Joe because of his obvious qualities and I think you saw that in the game. His running power, his ball-carrying ability. As you say, he's an attacking player, but we felt his legs and athleticism in the field would be something we need in this game. I thought he did lots of different things well, maybe to the normal Joe Willock attributes. I thought he defended really well. I thought his carrying out of the instruction was very good off the ball.
10:59I thought he gave everything physically. He's not probably at his maximum level because he just hasn't had the rhythm from the games that he needs, but a big showing from Joe today, I thought.
11:08Sorry, I don't want to labour the point on Martin, but the words he is in his eyes seem to be at the end there. Are you saying that as far as you're aware, it's not a done deal that he is leaving? There's still work to be done on that?
11:21Scott, I know nothing, genuinely. I've been head down into the game, so I'm sure I'll speak to Paul at some stage today.
11:29I just wanted to ask about Jacob Murphy and his recent run of form. How important has he been in your recent run of seven wins in a row?
11:36He's been very good, yeah. I thought Jacob was... Well, I know Jacob was one of those players that was tiring a little bit today, given everything in the game, in the previous games and today, and we asked a lot of him physically.
11:49So, I thought tactically, again, he was excellent. He plays with, again, a really deep understanding of what we need him to do. He's got quite a complex role in the team. I thought he was very good today, again.
12:04Can I ask about Lewis Hill? We know Arsenal like to build up down the right quite a bit, just how would you assess his performance today and how did it show how important he's become for you?
12:16Yeah, I thought Lewis did really well. I thought, as you say, Arsenal are very good down that side of the pitch. I thought he defended very, very well. I can picture him, especially in the second half, because that was a challenge for us down that side, covering, working in tandem with the players around him to try and nullify their threat.
12:36So, I thought it was a really mature performance from him. And also, on the ball, he just has that composure. He always has a split second more time than you maybe think he can. So, his technical delivery, again, was very strong today.
12:47Yeah, he obviously does seem to play a lot more regularly this season. Is there anything obvious he's doing differently this season that maybe he hasn't been doing before?
12:56I just think, generally, his all-round game's improved. And it's still improving. I think there's still more to come from him. But I think he's shown real maturity. He's played some really difficult games for us and his defensive performance has especially been very strong.
13:11Sven Bottman, being a baptism of fire for him the past two games, coming in after a so-long out, how pleased are you with his performances and how is he? Obviously, you mentioned the doctor.
13:24Yeah, he was just feeling his groin. He felt he was able to continue. That was, with him and the medical team, he felt strong enough to go back out in the second half. And you wouldn't have known there was any issue with him. But, naturally fatigued, I think. But, as you say, for him to play in the way that he has in those two games after so long out and in such tight turnarounds, hugely impressive.
13:46I think it shows where Sven is mentally. He was a warrior for us in our Champions League season and we've really, really missed him. So, I'm delighted with how he's done and he deserves all the applaud it's really.
13:56You said you know nothing about him on the broadcast situation. Is there a chance he could stay at the club and even be offered a new contract?
14:04Well, that would be my wish.
14:06Thanks, everyone.