Eddie Howe simply must respond to Newcastle United’s chastening defeat to Barcelona when his side play against Sunderland on Sunday.
On Wednesday night, Newcastle United’s Champions League journey ended in shambolic fashion as Howe’s side were thrashed by Barcelona.
Which Newcastle player are you most annoyed with after losing to Barcelona – and why? 😡
Newcastle United players look dejected after conceding against FC Barcelona in the Champions League.
Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images
Indeed, Barca’s huge win over Newcastle underlined the limitations of this team at the top level. Competitive? Yes. Convincing? Not at all.
Newcastle’s season will almost certainly be over on Sunday afternoon. After the Tyne-Wear derby, there’s little other reason to get excited. With the Magpies hugely unlikely to qualify for the Champions League again, it is the one big game remaining this season.
Howe simply must beat Sunderland on Sunday
Losing to Barca and Manchester City in cup competitions is no disgrace, even if some of the performances have been terrible.
Defeat at home against Sunderland, however, very much would be.
Howe’s Newcastle were terrible in their defeat to Sunderland in December and another insipid performance would only pile more pressure on the Magpies boss.
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There have been mitigating factors as to why this season has been such a struggle for Newcastle.
Quite how much stock one puts into them is a personal choice, but it’s clear that external factors – such as the Alexander Isak saga – have not made things easy.
Still, excuses cannot last forever. Newcastle were dreadful against Sunderland last time out and an urgent response is desperately needed.
If they fail to show up in yet another derby just a few days after a shambolic defeat to Barcelona, serious questions will need to be asked.
There is little left to play for this season aside from bragging rights in the North East.
This has been the worst season of Howe’s tenure on Tyneside, and it could still get even uglier.
Eddie Howe looks dejected after Newcastle United lose to Barcelona.
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Howe’s message ahead of Sunderland game
A dejected-looking Howe insisted that his side must learn from what happened against Barcelona when speaking in his post-match press conference.
Tellingly, he quickly looked ahead to Sunday’s huge derby.
After picking through what happened at the Camp Nou, Howe said: “We’ve got to deal with this very quickly and move on to Sunday. We have to play as if our lives depend on it.”
The Newcastle boss is a legend on Tyneside but credit does not last forever. After such a disjointed season, losing another derby would give fans little to shout about for the final few months of the campaign.
The way in which his team respond on Sunday will tell supporters an awful lot about the future of the Howe era, if there is one.
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