Eddie Howe watched as his team lost their last pre-season friendly.
A 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
The game naturally played without Alexander Isak.
Eddie Howe spoke afterwards about the game and … Alexander Isak.
Eddie Howe asked in the absence of a goal scorer (s):
“I think this in the games for the season that this would be a fair assessment.
“I don’t think I think differently, but we can still win football matches.
“We have to change the margins, the little things, to our advantage.
“We have to look across the board at how we can get more goals in the team.
“That has always been part of the coach’s work to find a way to win.
“That’s what we have to do.
“I have always tried to retain a very balanced image of things.
“It is never as good as you think you feel good … and it is never so bad as you think it is when you feel bad.
“At the moment I am very neutral.
“I have seen the challenges and I know the challenges we are confronted with.
“This is a new territory for us, but I also believe from those difficult moments that you can actually build something special if you come in the other way, and that is a big like.
“So for me the priority is now the players we fit and are available.
“Ensuring that they fully understand what is expected of them and ensure that we are resilient enough to deal with a lot of external noise, a lot of speculation about us.
“That is not a fault of ourselves.
Eddie Howe about the situation of Alexander Isak:
“I think everything plays because he has been contracted, he is our player.
“The club actually makes the decision about his future.
“I don’t know what that will be.
“Of course I have a preferred result.
“I want the best and strongest team to be possible.
“But I also want players who really want to play for this football club.
“That (Alexander Isak decision) will be for other people to make.
“I just try to manage the situation and manage the team, especially.
“To manage the group of players that I work with every day, which I coach and help, and we focus on Aston Villa.
“Everything, to a certain extent, from my perspective, is not under my control, so it’s not my focus.”
Eddie Howe asked if he could personally convince Alexander Isak to stay:
“If it were that easy, I would do it.
“I did it yesterday.
“But it’s not that easy.
“I want him to train and I want him to play for us.
“So I think you can see my need and wish.
“But of both parties it has to be right.”
Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon after being forced late in the game due to an injury:
“We hope it’s good with him.
“I think it is an ankle twist (Anthony Gordon confirmed that this was the case on social media on Saturday evening).”
Eddie Howe on Sven Botman who only played the first half:
“That was the pre-game plan.
“I thought he got through well.
“He is such a big player and we just have to keep him fit.
“So we just manage his games.”
Eddie Howe on Right back Harrison Ashby, which was used in midfield on Saturday:
“I think the biggest thing today is that I liked his attitude.
“He attacked the position.
“He rarely plays that position, although he has trained there for us.
“It is a sign of our plow depth …
“We are stretched in midfield.”
Final score:
Newcastle 0 Atletico Madrid 2
Goals:
Newcastle:
Atletico Madrid:
Alvarez 50, Griezmann 63
Presence:
51,584
Newcastle Team V Atletico Madrid:
Pope, Ashby (Alfie Harrison 61), Lascelles, Botman (Alex Murphy 46), Livramento, Trippier (Shahar 87), Joelinton, Tonali, Eleanga, Gordon (Neave 84), Barnes
Unused Subs:
Ruddy, Gillespie, Charlton, Kulol, Show
Newcastle United Pre-season Friendly schedule 2025/26
Saturday July 12 – Newcastle 4 Carlisle 0 (behind closed doors)
Saturday, July 19 – Celtic 4 Newcastle 0
Sunday July 27 – Arsenal 3 Newcastle 2
Wednesday, July 30 – Team K-League All Stars 1 Newcastle 0
Sunday 3 August Spurs 1 Newcastle 1
Friday, August 8 – – Newcastle 2 Espanyol 2
Saturday, August 9 – – Newcastle 0 Atletico Madrid 2
(Match report: This will definitely be a good season – the mags on the mags – read here)
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