Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has spoken out about the club’s aims for the upcoming season.
Eddie Howe has his sights set on success this season, and wants his Newcastle side to compete on all fronts.
As quoted by Chronicle Live, the Magpies manager said: “there will come a time when we discuss the wider things in the season and the competitions we are in. We’ve got a really good squad. We want to be really competitive in every competition.”
Last season, Howe tried to motivate his players using statistics about the club’s ongoing trophy drought. The manager repeatedly confronted his squad with Newcastle’s long-running struggle for silverware. However, it doesn’t seem likely he will repeat this tactic, with Howe saying, “It’s not something we have discussed internally, a lot our work has been based around fitness and team style. I have not really…tried to motivate the players for our first game.”
The English coach needs to find new ways to inspire his side.
Newcastle’s Carabao Cup opportunity
Newcastle will be competing in the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup this season. Howe will already have a plan in place for each of those competitions.
The Carabao Cup offers the easiest and quickest route to some long-awaited silverware. The Tyneside outfit were losing finalists last year and would love to go one step further this time around. Newcastle haven’t won a major trophy since the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup triumph of 1969. Ending this barren run soon is an absolute must for Howe’s Newcastle project.
Howe would love to get that monkey off the club’s back with Carabao Cup glory this season, but he must balance those ambitions with rotating his squad and giving impressive youngsters like Elliot Anderson and Lewis Miley a chance to shine. This competition offers him the best opportunity to make those changes to his regular starting XI.
Balance is needed
With Champions League football to contend with, squad depth will be more important than ever. Whilst Howe will be desperate to prove his credentials, and bolster the club’s reputation on the continental stage, he can’t afford to let his side’s Premier League form slip in the process.
The Premier League title itself is the ultimate aim, but will almost certainly be beyond Newcastle this season. However, Howe is absolutely right to want to attack all four competitions with an aggressive and ambitious approach. He needs to nurture a winning mentality at St James’ Park, and that begins with instilling the belief in the dressing room that trophies are the target and something they are capable of achieving.
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