· December 23 2024, 11:30
Eddie Howe has spoken to the media this morning ahead of the Boxing Day clash at St James' Park where Newcastle United will take on Aston Villa.
Home games over the festive period tend to have a special atmosphere about them which is something Eddie Howe touched on during his presser on Monday morning (via The Chronicle).
"When you are playing at home over the festive period, these games are brilliant things to be a part of so we are looking forward to the game. When you perform and play well, you want the games to come to you."
However, as well as looking forward to Thursday's big game, there was also the small matter of talking about 'phenomenal' Alexander Isak who finally got his first hat-trick for the club on Saturday in the 4-0 win over Ipswich Town.
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Alexander Isak is on fire
Eddie Howe believes there's still plenty more to come from Alexander Isak
Isak had a slow start to the season but is now in superb form, but there's still room for improvement which makes him a very exciting prospect.
Eddie Howe believes that Isak has what it takes to get even better, insisting that his unpredictability makes it hard for the opposition to know how to deal with him.
"It's just about refining. I don't think it's changing. His game is very strong in almost every department. I don't see a weakness in his game. It's shaving off the edges. Trying to improve in the small areas that he can.
"I'm a big believer in player development and the evolution of a player's game so you can never be the same player two seasons in a row. You have to find a different way to hurt the opponent because teams with the analysis now find ways to deal with certain problems that you give them so for Alex that will be a constant thing that has to be in a game and I think that it is. He has that unpredictability that makes him very difficult to play against."
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When Isak can sort out his phobia of goalkeepers we'll be laughing
Isak is still missing one-on-ones which you'd normally expect him to bury, but he often seems to end up scoring in the same game anyway.
Whatever it is that's stopping him from smashing those home (let's not forget he's missed several penalties this season too), hopefully, he can get over it and then there'll be no stopping him.
The talent he has, his ability to ghost through defences, is unparalleled in the Premier League. It's no surprise Arsenal can't stop dreaming about him, but he's ours, and Eddie Howe seems very confident that he's ours for the foreseeable future.