The Magpies went down 4-1 in the Premier League at Anfield at the weekend, a loss that plunged them back into the bottom half of the table.
Things got no better at the Etihad Stadium last night as Manchester City scored three first-half goals to condemn Newcastle to a 5-1 aggregate defeat that ended their defence of the Carabao Cup.
Last season, Newcastle claimed some notable scalps on their travels, but this season has been a much different story, with this week’s defeats at Anfield and the Etihad feeling very much like ‘business as usual’ given the club’s wretched recent record at both grounds.
Newcastle host Brentford at the weekend before heading to London to face Tottenham next Tuesday, and Howe will be spending the next few days trying to rebuild the confidence of a squad that has been suffered a testing few days.
“Last year we went to several grounds and we went into the games really believing that we could win,” said the Magpies boss. “The only way you build that is by winning, so we need to try to get that feeling back.
“The team has been knocked in recent weeks, there’s no denying that. We’ve lost some big players and with that you lose a little bit of confidence.
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“It’s funny, if you really analyse the last two games, you’d say we haven’t really been outplayed throughout the games. We’ve been in the games. We haven’t defended well enough and we haven’t taken a lot of the chances that we’ve created.
“We still believe we’re a good team, we just need protect confidence levels at all costs, that’s my first thought.”
Last night’s defeat saw Newcastle relinquish the Carabao Cup they won in such memorable fashion last spring when they beat Liverpool at Wembley.
That was the Magpies’ first domestic trophy success in 70 years, with Howe admitting the manner of his side’s semi-final defeat as holders was hard to take.
“It is painful,” he said. “We obviously loved the ride we had last year, lifting the cup and all the moments and memories that brought.
“It was an incredible experience and we were desperate to do it again. I definitely can’t fault the players’ attitude in terms of what they’ve given. We are playing every two or three days and we’re fighting it difficult in this moment having just played Paris, Liverpool and Manchester City away.
“That’s a tough schedule for any team to face, and we’re doing it with the amount of injuries that we have. They’re not excuses, that’s just the reality. We’re missing some really big players, and I think you could feel that with the performance today.”