Gordon has come under fire for his performance against West Ham but has the perfect platform to respond
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe gives instructions to Anthony Gordon
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe gives instructions to Anthony Gordon
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If there was any doubt Eddie Howe replacing Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon at half-time on Sunday could be interpreted as sending his fleet-footed winger a message, they were eradicated on Tuesday evening.
Without publicly lambasting his player or throwing him under the bus, Howe calmly explained they have had a number of conversations about his form this season but admitted the challenge for the England international is to improve his Premier League performances.
Reflecting on the decision to withdraw Nick Woltemade and Gordon at half-time during Sunday's 3-1 defeat to West Ham United, Howe said in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash against Athletic Bilbao: "With Nick, we’re well aware that we’ve thrust him into every game near enough.
"I thought he looked a little bit fatigued. It was a case of making a decision that I thought benefited the team and Nick going forward.
"He is carrying a lot of load on his shoulders, and if I feel he is fatigued, I need to act and help him. That was the thinking behind that one.
"With Anthony, look, he’s played very well in the Champions League. He hasn’t quite hit that form in the Premier League, and that’s his challenge."
That has been the curious thing about Gordon's form this year. Zero goals or assists in his last 19 Premier League matches but four goals and an assist in just three Champions League outings this term.
The 24-year-old has the opportunity to extend that record tomorrow with the visit of a severely depleted Athletic Bilbao side and, if he does, he will rightly be lauded by Newcastle fans, media, Howe and his team-mates.
But the challenge quite clearly remains to find those numbers in the Premier League with a tough trip to Brentford on the horizon on Sunday.
And Howe was keen to stress that Gordon isn't exclusive in that club, though.
"I've had many discussions with Anthony and will continue to. He's a very honest player and there's no lack of effort or commitment or desire to do well.
"He's very driven to succeed and that's one of his biggest qualities. Sometimes things fall that way, a game of football is a game of football regardless of the competition. He's an outstanding player.
"Of course we need more from everybody in the Premier league. It's not just Anthony it's everybody connected with all of our styles of play, defending and attacking.
"The league is such a high level regardless of who you play and of course there's added challenges, mentally, when you're returning from Champions League or cup games and we need to make that transition better."
Dan Burn took the hot-seat after Howe and he admitted a lot of Newcastle players, naturally, have been up for the Champions League and cup nights.
But they have to find the solution of being able to replicate that motivation and performance level in Premier League games - particularly away from home.
If Newcastle want to make the next step in their bid to join the elite clubs in European football it is that square they need to circle pretty quickly.