Newcastle United fans will be waking up with a sense of déjà vu today after their team threw away more points from a winning position this weekend.
A blistering start to the game saw Nick Woltemade fire two goals in the first 20 minutes to put Newcastle in a dream position heading into half-time.
If you could go back in time and tell Eddie Howe one thing during his half-time team talk, what would it be?!
However, the Magpies collapsed in the second half and allowed Chelsea back into the game. A share of the spoils by the end certainly feels more like two points dropped than one point gained.
The denial of a ‘clear’ penalty for Newcastle was a big talking point, but the players have to start looking at themselves and the fact they cannot seem to hold onto a lead.
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What Eddie Howe said to players at half-time vs Chelsea
Speaking quickly during the interval before his players came back out for the second half, Eddie Howe was quizzed as to how he felt about the first half.
He told TNT Sports: “We have been really good athletically, that’s been the biggest thing especially with the quick turnaround in games.
“The thing from our perspective is we want to continue the momentum, continue to dig deep athletically and the intensity of our game has to remain high.”
When asked about his message to the players at half-time, Howe didn’t reveal the secrets completely, but suggested his team talk was very much along the lines of the assessment he just shared.
AGREE OR DISAGREE: Eddie Howe hasn’t had it easy this season, but he should be doing much better
Newcastle United players aren’t doing what’s asked of them
It’s safe to say Newcastle fans are fed up of seeing their team throw away leads and points in games they could and should win.
However, while we’ve all long suspected that this mentality issue stems from Howe himself, it’s clear the Newcastle United manager is telling his players the right things.
If Howe is demanding intensity for the full 90 minutes and the players are not delivering on that instruction, that’s on them. The second half against Chelsea was lacklustre, to say the least, with the energy levels clearly dropping among the Newcastle players.
Granted, the squad is paper thin at the moment amid the injury issues at Newcastle, and the Magpies are wading through a very busy schedule of games. However, there is no excusing the dip in intensity halfway through games; the players have to leave it all out there and they are not doing that right now.
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