Eddie Howe spoke to the media this morning at the end of a tough week on Tyneside.
The boss confirmed that Lewis Hall’s season is over, revealed that Sven Botman is aiming to be back in eight weeks ahead of surgery and had good news on Alexander Isak and Kieran Trippier, confirming both are ‘fine’ after being forced off last Sunday.
He was also quick to highlight the importance of Monday’s trip to West Ham and dropped a very clear hint on his team selection ahead of a huge week in league and cup.
Midway through this morning’s press conference, Eddie Howe was asked if he’ll “rest or protect” any of his players on Monday with next Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final in mind.
His answer was clear – absolutely not. Howe was adamant in his response, insisting that the thought of ‘resting’ someone like Alexander Isak “doesn’t even come into my head.”
As he explain below, Howe insisted that the only way to build form, fitness and a feel-good factor in the group is to play and win, confirming he’ll pick his “strongest team” the London Stadium on Monday night.
“No I don’t think so,” Howe said when asked if he’ll rest certain players. “The focus is on West Ham. It’s a Premier League game. Our Premier League form is hugely important to us and we need to get back on track in that respect.
“We need to feel the momentum of winning and the best chance we have of winning any cup is to go into the game feeling as good as we can. The only way to feel good is to win, so we will pick our strongest team.
“Resting players doesn’t even come into my head. If you think a player not playing for two weeks before a huge game is good for them then that’s not the case. They need regular football to give them the best chance of being fit, but also performing, so those players will play.”
“We can’t lose that focus on the Premier League. Despite the outside noise (on injuries and the final next Sunday), I see a determination to do well in the game.
Howe’s comments strongly suggest that Alexander Isak will start at West Ham, despite some hoping to see him left out and wrapped in cotton wool for the final.
Isak came off with fatigue in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton, but he’s not injured, has trained all week and is ready to go, says Howe.
Discussing the Swede’s fitness this morning, Howe said: “He’s fine. He came off (on Sunday) feeling fatigued, a tightness in his body, but he’s trained every day this week,” Howe said on Isak.
With this, injuries, suspensions and Howe’s comments on rotation in mind, we think the following side will start on Monday night:
(4-3-3): Dubravka – Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento – Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock – Murphy, Isak, Joelinton.