It has been a pre-season to remember for Newcastle United, who are unbeaten from their seven friendlies, which included some really tough games.
The Magpies set themselves some difficult challenges when planning out their summer preparations, but appear to be in an excellent position heading into the Premier League opener this weekend.
Eddie Howe has seen a lot to be happy about, most notably the performances of two academy graduates in Elliot Anderson and Lewis Miley. They have really stood out this summer.
Newcastle look very prepared to face Aston Villa on Saturday, who they drew with out in America during the Premier League Summer Series last month.
It is going to be a very tough first game for Howe, but he has explained why Toon fans should be very optimistic about another exciting season at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe believes Newcastle are ready to improve even more
Following the 4-0 win over Villarreal, Howe spoke to NUFC TV. He was asked what has pleased him the most about his team’s efforts during pre-season.
“The commitment, the drive to be successful is there in the group again,” he said.
“The spirit is very strong. These are all key characteristics to any team.
“Our confidence levels seem to be good. We seem to be believing in each other and we know that we can get better. So there’s growth, which we have to have. You don’t want to peak two or three weeks into pre-season and then decline. You want to be building upwards and hopefully there’s still a lot more room for us to show how good we can be.”
A warning for the rest of the Premier League
Howe’s words are ominous for the rest of the Premier League.
Our commitment and drive to be successful was what made us so dangerous last season, and Howe believes it is there once again heading into the 2023/24 campaign.
On top of that, he believes that Newcastle still have multiple gears to go through. He thinks his team are going to keep getting better, and have certainly not hit their peak during pre-season.
This is a determined group of players that went above and beyond expectations last season, who are now being asked to replicate their success. It is going to be very difficult, but Howe is confident that they are going to improve and give it everything they have got.
There will be no resting on laurels, as Newcastle look to prove that last season was no fluke.
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