Eddie Howe will resist the temptation to abandon the high-energy, high-pressing playing philosophy that swept Newcastle to fourth place last season but currently seems to have left an injury-hit squad exhausted.
As he prepared for Monday’s night’s match at Liverpool, Howe rebutted suggestions he had no plan B. “We have many variations of how we play, there are loads of plan Bs,” said Newcastle’s manager, whose team have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions and lost ground in the Premier League’s race for European qualification. “But they’re all based around Plan A so we’re not going to throw anything away.
“If you look at the statistics we base our performances on, they’re still very strong on lots of the key markers. We’ve got to be very careful not to go too far away from what we do. We have to play to our strengths, we have to be a threat.”
Howe could desperately do with some fresh legs in January but financial fair play restrictions dictate that Newcastle’s room for transfer market manoeuvre is limited. “No, we haven’t had those assurances,” he said when asked if the club’s majority Saudi Arabian owners had pledged to sign some new players. “January’s a difficult month. But it’s a time when you have to stand up and be counted. We’ve got to respond.”
Newcastle’s manager refuses to beat himself up about his tactics and distinct lack of rotation in recent weeks. “My conscience is clear,” said Howe. “When I pick a team and make a decision it’s always to benefit the team and the club. I have no issues with my decisions because, even if they’re wrong, you reflect and you learn and you try to be a better person.”
With the trip to Anfield coming before an FA Cup third-round tie at Sunderland and two key Premier League games at home to Manchester City and away to Aston Villa, he could do with signs of a revival. “It’s been frustrating and disappointing but January is a great chance to fight back and show our qualities.
“This season was always going to be difficult. Last season was tough but this one is tough in a different way. Things have gone against us in Europe and the Carabao Cup, the players have had to take a few knocks and blows but football’s about your ability to bounce back and go again. This is a big month for us.”
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One of Howe’s coping strategies is to ignore criticism. “It goes with the territory,” he said. “I’ve learned to blank it out and make sure I help the players. We’re very calm with the players. I think there’s still a lot of good within our squad. We’re very positive about the future.”