Eddie Howe watched as Newcastle United won 3-2 against Qarabag.
The victory at St James’ Park ensured Newcastle United progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League.
A crushing 9-3 win in the play-off round.
Eddie Howe reflects on this successful progress: “It’s a huge achievement for us to get to the last 16. I’ve enjoyed the new format, I think it’s a really good thing. I’ve really enjoyed it. In terms of the pressure games and the double-headers, we’ve navigated that very well. I don’t think it was a great achievement [at St James’ Park] but I’m very happy that we won. Whoever we get in the next round, it will be a great draw for us. It is extremely important for us to give our season an extra boost to get through this play-off and move on to the next one.”
It’s been a journey.
Newcastle United have now played ten Champions League matches this season, winning six and losing only two, with two draws.
Eddie Howe says: “This was our target at the start of the season. We discussed different things and to get to the knockout stages was there for us and we felt we could achieve this with the players we have. It has been a really exciting stage of this competition. We have really enjoyed the different challenges. The knockout stage will be another challenge for us at the sharp end against elite teams, so everything to look forward to. But in the back of my mind we need to get our Premier League form back to where we want it and that will give us the give us the best chance to do well in this competition.”
Newcastle United started at St James’ Park as they did in Baku, with a two-goal lead inside six minutes.
An 8-1 lead so early in the match perhaps always meant the possibility of a messy match as it progressed, with qualification beyond doubt.
Eddie Howe gives his thoughts: “I thought we would probably take our foot off the accelerator at 2-0. We didn’t plan to do that, but it was kind of a natural reaction. In the second half the game became end-to-end, which was a real shame for us. Firstly, we put too much energy and that meant we didn’t put any pressure on their goal, so we’re disappointed with those 45 minutes.”
Eddie Howe has done wonders in his time at St James’ Park so far.
So it was great to see the latest tribute to Wor Flags unveiled…
Eddie Howe asked about it: “Amazing… thank you very much to everyone who thought of this idea. The love the supporters give to me and the team is greatly appreciated. It means everything.”
Eddie Howe was also asked about Nick Woltemade’s performance.
The Germany international will once again start in a more even role, with Will Osula leading the way.
Eddie Howe on Big Nick’s latest show: “I think the biggest thing we said to him is stay between the lines. Definitely don’t move off the midfield line to still be a goal threat because he’s 6ft 4in, he should still be a target on crosses. There were a few balls there that he could have gotten on another day because we want him to score goals. That’s part of the reason why we brought him here. I think there were moments for him, but I think that was the least impact that he had.” he has had for us in that position.”
Newcastle United will meet its next Champions League opponent on Friday.
Eddie Howe asked about his preference for Barcelona or Chelsea?: “Really, I didn’t think about it for a second. I know those teams have been there for us. The most important thing was to get through and be very happy with the professional work we have done. If you look at the score over the two games, I think it has been fantastic from the players, even if today feels a bit like a hollow victory for us. We enjoyed the game against Barcelona a lot, we also had a good game here against Chelsea, we didn’t win either, so I hope this is a good omen for us.”
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