Eddie Howe spoke to the media this morning ahead of Sunday’s clash with relegation troubled Burnley. Here are a few key things which were covered.
No Room For Sentimentality
Eddie Howe confirmed that he will be fielding his “strongest” team on Sunday when asked if he’d be giving some game-time to one or two fringe players. Stating “We will be looking to play the game with the same level of intensity as we did against Arsenal”. When asked if how he’d feel if he was to relegate his old club, Howe said that he has to be “clinical” in his approach and that his focus is on getting a result for Newcastle United.
Chris Wood
Eddie Howe is obviously not the only one with links to Burnley with Chris Wood joining Newcastle in January in a move seen more as Newcastle undercutting their opposition than strengthening their own ranks. That being said, Wood now has the chance to be the villain and could, possibly be the one to put the final nail in Burnley’s coffin. Howe was asked how he thinks Wood would handle the situation and if he’d celebrate scoring, ever the professional, Howe refused to speak on behalf of his player, but did speak to Wood’s respect for Burnley as well as his professionalism.
Naughty Joelinton
It was revealed that in an interview, Joelinton said the club would be looking to push for the European places next season. Howe started to grin while confirming that, yes, that is the objective for next season but he’d prefer those goals to stay internal so as not to add pressure to the squad. EUROPE HERE WE COME!
Preseason Plans Being Worked On
Newcastle are working hard behind the scenes to put together a new pre-season tour after the Ohio Cup cancellation.
Henderson Not As Close As We Thought
When asked about the Manchester Evening News report regarding Dean Henderson, Howe said “we are not close to signing anyone at this moment in time. That’s far from the truth”.
You can watch the full press conference on the Official Site.