Howe apologises after Newcastle are torn apart 4-0 by rampant Manchester City
15/02/2025
Etihad stadium, manchester, uk
15/02/2025
Etihad stadium, manchester, uk
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00:00Luke and then Scott. Probably not what you want to see from your team today is that fair to say?
00:20Yeah we're disappointed very disappointed with our general performance
00:24today I expected us to be really competitive today I don't think we
00:29just starting off the ball in terms of trying to deliver a really competitive
00:36energetic performance it wasn't there then the jewels we were off on our jewels
00:41so then it becomes very difficult because they're still the best team in
00:44the Premier League maybe the world still for me in the build-up phase and with
00:50the ball I think they're still a very very difficult team to play against they
00:54then can keep the ball for long periods of time so it becomes it can't
00:59become a difficult mix if you don't get that first part right and we didn't
01:02today and sadly that led to a disappointing performance.
01:05Are you getting slightly irritated that the team can when they're good they're
01:09excellent but when they're bad they can look like they did today?
01:14Yeah I don't think we're perfect we're far from it I think we have days where
01:19we can look far from the team that we are when we're on it and it's a real
01:27frustration for us because to be a an elite team you've got to be consistent
01:31you've got to figure out ways to be competitive even if you're not feeling
01:35your best or as cohesive as you want to be certainly today it looked like a
01:43difficult start to the game for us but then we never responded really in that
01:46first half it was a tough half to watch I thought we were much better in the
01:48second period but the game was gone.
01:53Yeah probably just following on from that really Eddie when we talk about
01:56that first half I mean I think we've probably seen and heard enough from you
02:00to know what what you like from your team what you want from your team that
02:04wasn't an Eddie Howe team performance in that first half was it?
02:08No it was pain as I said it was painful to watch from from the sideline you know
02:12that we were a yard off where we needed to be we seemed to be reactive we allowed
02:20their good technical players too much space now they do have outstanding
02:25players and as I said they're still for me I know a lot's been made of their
02:29their run but still for me with the ball they're the best team in the Premier
02:33League and we've had some some difficult games here but that just we weren't
02:40competitive enough we weren't in their face enough and when you come up 50-50
02:44against any direct opponent we were losing too many of those those battles
02:47and ultimately those things cost you matches.
02:50And does it say something I mean you know not not having a go at any players
02:55or anything in particular but does it say something that almost in the first
02:5810 minutes he'd been on the pitch you probably saw more of that from Lewis
03:01Miley than maybe you'd seen from a number of the other players that were
03:04out there in that first 45?
03:06Yeah I think the big positive today is
03:08Lewis' performance in that second half and he showed not not just bravery out
03:12of possession in terms of winning duels and covering the pitch but in terms of
03:15taking the ball and showing composure and making the right decisions which we
03:19didn't make enough of so he can be very proud of his performance but some of us
03:24need to look at him and he led the way.
03:26Thanks Scott, Craig?
03:28Eddie, you said after the Fulham game that the players might have had one eye on the
03:31subsequent match against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi, now you're in the final
03:35is there a danger a month away that that final does become the focus because it
03:39could be a long month if that is the case?
03:41If that is the case we're in trouble Craig
03:43because our Premier League season will be over really by the time that final
03:47comes around it can't be the focus it's on the horizon it should be a positive
03:50it shouldn't be a negative distraction for us I'd encourage the players to look
03:54at it that way it's an excitement but we have to go back to work and work is the
03:58Premier League the day in day out and we we have to perform better as three of
04:02our last performances in the Premier League haven't been good enough they've
04:06all had similar traits in them so yeah back to basics for us I think for next week.
04:12Eddie you made a few changes taking some big names off was was any
04:16reason for injury for those changes and Craig just mentioned the Cup final sort
04:24of narrative there that was already being spoken about across sort of talk
04:28sport and things like that yesterday how do you stop that creeping into the
04:31dressing room now?
04:33Well I can't stop other people talking about it and we've
04:36tried to address it internally and then put it away I don't know I don't know
04:45people will naturally assume that the Cup final may be a negative distraction
04:50and it certainly wasn't a great performance from us today but yeah I'd
04:55needed probably a little bit of time before sticking my colors to the mask to
04:59see what went wrong today.
05:02Similar theme I'm afraid, you said yesterday that this could be a
05:07defining period for the team obviously this was not the kind of response that
05:11you wanted can it be a useful lesson in that in that respect can it be it can it
05:16be a defining game in the sense of a positive if you know what I mean?
05:21Yeah I do and I think that's what I have to try and create from the game is that it's
05:27a positive moment because we learned a lot from it we learned a lot of what we
05:31don't want to do to be honest in terms of a game because that's what we've
05:34delivered today a lot of what we don't want second best in duals second best
05:38physically not ourselves with the ball we didn't look a threat today so you
05:45know sometimes we've had games like this before this season we've always just
05:48responded pretty well I think the inconsistency is a worry and has been
05:54sort of there all season now we're off the back of winning a lot of games so
05:57don't want to overreact 12 of our last 15 but still just looking at the last
06:04group of games we've not been what we want to be hi Eddie what is it about
06:10coming to this stadium that seems to overwhelm your players that the record
06:14is really really poor seven games now without a goal even and and is that
06:18something you have to overcome for the team to be able to move to the next
06:21level yeah I don't necessarily think it's a stadium I think it's something to do
06:24with the players that we're playing against yes but the second part of your
06:31question a hundred percent we have to embrace these challenges much better
06:36than we did today because we want to be on a get to a place where we can compete
06:42toe-to-toe against any team in the Premier League we've tried to do that
06:47with our approach but I don't think that we looked anywhere near as
06:56competitive as we want to be all we have been previously we've lost games here
06:59but I think the games have looked slightly different today it was
07:02definitely a step back in that respect thanks Martin the last questions from
07:05Simon Eddie just in terms of where you are in the league there's a lot of teams
07:10around that area you went on a really really good run now you not doing so
07:16well Chelsea went on a good run they weren't they're not doing so well
07:19Brighton lost seven then they've won a couple of games there seems to be a few
07:23teams in that situation do you know why that is I think it happens a lot in the
07:31in the Premier League because the competition and the teams are so strong
07:35that you're gonna go on periods of winning games losing games it's gonna
07:39happen throughout the season the challenge is to obviously mirror the
07:46form that we showed a couple of months ago where we were we were fearless in
07:49our approach the players look motivated consistently we had a really good
07:55winning mentality to our performances even when we didn't play well we can't
08:02lose grass that was only very recently so confidence is a key thing fitness of
08:06key players is a key thing I've taught today we miss Jolentons dual winning
08:10ability we miss Sven Brotman's physical presence all these things matter so yeah
08:17we're trying to get those players fit as quickly as possible thanks everyone
08:20thank you