It was a frustrating weekend for Newcastle United fans as three of our top five rivals won before a Declan Rice stunner settled a tight game at the Emirates yesterday.
We had the chances to be two up by half time and will come away from Arsenal wondering what might’ve been, but our missions remains simple heading into this Sunday’s game; beat Everton and we’ve secured Champions League football!
Eddie Howe has been looking ahead to that huge match and, as ever, has given a positive, focused and calm outlook as we approach a weekend full of top-five deciders.
Eddie Howe has called for calm heading into a huge week for Newcastle United, insisting we are still in a strong position and back ourselves to finish the job in front of our supporters at St James’ Park.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s decider against Everton, Howe said: “We’re still in a strong position and it’s in our hands, and I think we have to look at this as a positive.
“I think calmness is going to be key at this moment in time. It’s a week before we play. We’ve got to be very calm, make good decisions, and train and prepare well for the game.
“Nothing changes. The emotion will be there in the game, I don’t think we have to spell that out to the players.”
On the Champions League carrot waiting for us this weekend, Howe added: “The prize is so big that everyone is fighting as much as they can. We’ve never got ahead of ourselves. We’ve never felt that we were there, or the job was done.
“The players feel the same way. We’ve been working incredibly hard to try to get the job done. Now, it’s going to go to the end, to the last game, and who knows? The twists and turns are there for everybody.
“All we can do is our best. We gave our best (at Arsenal), that’s why there’s no criticism of the players. They’ve given so much this year. Now, we know we need one more big effort in this last match.”
Newcastle have won six Premier League home games in a row against Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Man Utd, Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Chelsea by an aggregate score of 20-5.
A big atmosphere is guaranteed and we’ve seen the players rise to the occasion on several times, insisted Howe
“We know what we have to do. It’s not going to be easy, but our home form has been strong and we’ve really enjoyed playing there.
“The players are used to big games, there’s going to be none bigger than this, but I’m sure the Newcastle supporters will make it an unbelievable atmosphere for us.”