This has been a hugely-challenging campaign for the Magpies, with the fallout from Alexander Isak’s protracted exit, the struggles of Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade in attack, a raft of defensive injuries and the inevitable issues of trying to compete on four different fronts combining to produce a high level of inconsistency in both performances and results.
Yet as the campaign reaches its business end, with tonight’s Champions League last-16 decider in Barcelona preceding Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby with Sunderland, Howe is finally starting to see signs of real progress.
Saturday’s 1-0 win at Chelsea showcased Newcastle at their best, counter-attacking with pace and purpose while remaining defensively solid. Last week’s home draw with Barcelona saw Howe’s side go toe-to-toe with one of Europe’s best teams, only being denied what would have been a historic victory by a stoppage-time penalty.
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There continue to be dips along the way – it is less than three weeks ago that the Magpies were losing at home to Everton – but things appear to be trending in a positive direction. Win tonight, and Howe will have definitive proof of a corner having been turned.
“I think it’s probably the happiest I’ve been throughout the season,” said the Newcastle boss. “It’s been a season of a lot of change. There was a lot of change in the summer, a lot was spoken about that, and obviously at the start of the season, we struggled to find our rhythm.
“Our relationships in the team were new, or at least some of them were, and I think that took time to settle into the normal patterns that we would work towards. Confidence was affected slightly, and we worked really hard to bring some stability to the team and really focus on performances.
“Of course, we’ve trained when we can this year, it’s been a relentless schedule for us as everyone knows. So, we’ve crammed a lot in in the last couple of months, despite the games that we’ve had.
“I think we’ve seen a bit of reward for that. In the last few weeks, we’ve returned to a really good flow, there’s been a much better feel. Individual performances have returned, and you’ve seen better collective performances as a result. At the right time for us, hopefully we’re entering a good period of form. But it’s still going to be a massive test for us in this game tomorrow.”
In truth, the test could hardly be greater. The Nou Camp might be undergoing extensive rebuilding work, with cranes towering over the stadium, but it remains one of the most iconic venues in world football. Barcelona are also rebuilding on the pitch, having moved on from the days of Lionel Messi and Neymar, but they are constructing a new set of superstars led by the likes of Pedri, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.
Sunday’s 5-2 thrashing of Sevilla left them four points clear at the top of La Liga. Since returning to the Nou Camp earlier this season, they have recorded 12 home wins out of 12.
“I think we’re going to need a bit of everything to win,” said Howe. “We’re certainly going to need the defensive mentality we had against Chelsea at the weekend, blocking shots, defending in numbers, defending our goal, packing out space, we’re going to need all of that.
“But then we’re also going to need a bit of what we do best, which is our running capacity, our athleticism, both on and off the ball. I think our all-round game, all the things that contribute to getting results, we’re going to have to do it better than in any other game we’ve played this season.”
And what about if Newcastle were to achieve the unthinkable? A year ago, almost to the day, Howe led the club to one of its greatest days when victory over Liverpool at Wembley secured the Carabao Cup, ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.
Knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League wouldn’t quite eclipse that, but it would be Newcastle’s greatest European moment for a couple of generations and arguably the club’s biggest-ever success in a one-off fixture.
“Would it be my biggest win? It probably would,” said Howe. “But it’s irrelevant really, thinking about it, talking about it, because that’s the outcome. At the moment, we’re still in the preparation phase, trying to make sure we get our gameplan, tactical delivery and individual performances to the right level.
“In these moments, I don’t think you can think too deeply about outcomes or what happens after. It’s all about there here and now, and the here and now is about trying to prepare for this game as best we can. That’s all we’re focused on. I don’t really want to heap too much pressure on the players – I just want them to try to execute the best performance they can.”