There’s one thing that Eddie Howe must learn from previous derby results ahead of Newcastle United’s FA Cup tie against Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
Newcastle have not beaten Sunderland since a 1-0 victory away from home back in 2011, albeit there hasn’t actually been a derby since 2016 due to both club’s suffering relegations.
The match has come at the worst possible time with Newcastle enduring their worst run since the takeover was confirmed and now the pressure is piling up on them to succeed.
One mistake that Newcastle have made in the past in these fixtures is playing up to the occasion rather than the game, and that’s something Howe simply has to avoid on Saturday.
Newcastle must remain calm against Sunderland
It’s no use trying to play up to the crowd, especially away from home, and getting caught up in the emotion of the game because that’s exactly what Sunderland will want them to do.
Players like Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton have proven before that they can at times lose their heads, even in games that aren’t particularly important fixtures, and it’s crucial that they both keep a level head this weekend.
From the moment the game kicks off Sunderland and their supporters will be trying to get under the players skin, something which the crowd at St James’ Park has been so good at doing over the last two years.
It’s almost as if you have to forget this is a derby at all and play their usual high-pressing game and, at least on paper, Sunderland shouldn’t be able to deal with the amount of quality that Newcastle possess.
Howe may need a win to save his job
The likes of Gary Neville and Chris Sutton have already made predictions on what will happen to Howe if Newcastle lose to Sunderland, but the fact that his job is under question at all is not exactly ideal.
When you consider the unbelievable things he achieved at the club last season you’d think that he’s bought himself a fair bit of leeway when it comes to the poor run of form.
The question is, however, how much time has he in fact bought himself and at what stage will the owners start to get a bit nervous about the teams’ league form.
A win on Saturday would not only be a significant result for the club but it would possibly signify a turning point in the season for Howe who will want to use it to kick on in the next few games.
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