Eddie Howe makes big Man City claim but this ‘challenge’ will not define Newcastle’s season

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Newcastle United will be hoping to get back on track this weekend after back-to-back defeats in the league, but Manchester City stand in their way.

Those defeats to West Ham and Brentford were bitter blows for Newcastle, who now sit in 14th place in the Premier League table.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
11	BrightonBrighton	11	4	4	3	17	15	2	16
12	BrentfordBrentford	11	5	1	5	17	17	0	16
13	EvertonEverton	11	4	3	4	12	13	-1	15
14	NewcastleNewcastle	11	3	3	5	11	14	-3	12
15	FulhamFulham	11	3	2	6	12	16	-4	11
16	LeedsLeeds	11	3	2	6	10	20	-10	11
17	BurnleyBurnley	11	3	1	7	14	22	-8	10

Unfortunately, Newcastle have a horrible record against Man City over the last 20 years, and it’ll take some doing to change that this weekend.

Clearly, Eddie Howe is under no illusions as to the daunting task that lies ahead, and he’s been talking up City’s strength in a recent interview.

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What Eddie Howe said about Manchester City

At the annual Newcastle United Foundation celebration dinner, where Howe was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame, the Magpies boss had plenty to say about the upcoming game.

Speaking to BBC Newcastle, Howe said: “We’re looking for a big response in this moment, which we’re going to need because we’ve got game after game; our schedule for the next two months is relentless. We can’t allow any sort of negative trend to continue. It’s a really important few weeks for us.

“[Getting a result against City] would be the perfect start to this period. But we know that we’re up against, for me, the best team in the Premier League, consistently for the last five, maybe ten years. They’ve been excellent, so there’s no bigger game for me than Manchester City, in terms of a test.

“Hopefully that brings out the best in us. We’ll certainly be prepared for the game. We’ve had a long time to reflect on our last performance and hopefully we see a response.”

Howe has been putting in the hard work during the international break with his players, but it sounds like the Newcastle manager and his players are well up for the game on Saturday evening.

He told Sky Sports: “It’s a very difficult game. They’re the standard-bearers in this division. They’ve changed a lot over the years, as any Pep Guardiola side does. It’s a fresh challenge for us, but one that hopefully we can rise to. Being back at home is important for us.

“I think we rise to the challenge. We have to go into every game with a fresh outlook, but the Brentford game is still in our memory and we need to respond. We have to galvanise ourselves and use those games to come out fighting, and play at our best, with intensity.”

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Newcastle United have nothing to lose vs Man City

Given Newcastle’s history against Man City, all signs point to defeat for the Magpies this weekend. That could be a demoralising thought for Newcastle, but it can also give the players the freedom to go into the game with nothing to lose.

If everyone thinks you’ll lose anyway, why not go out and prove them wrong? The starting XI Howe picks versus Man City will tell us a lot about his approach to the game, and we’d love to see him throw caution to the wind.

As important as it is to get back on track and get a positive result, it’s important to remember this one game will not define Newcastle’s season. With a tricky run of fixtures coming up for Newcastle, it’s key to get some momentum, but the most crucial element this weekend is to see a response in terms of the performance from the players.

The last two league games saw Newcastle display a lack of heart and intensity, and that simply has to return against Man City to show the fans the Magpies are on the right track again.