Eddie Howe's message to Newcastle United fans after Carabao Cup success at Arsenal
EDDIE HOWE has told Newcastle United’s supporters to start dreaming of Wembley – but the head coach insists he will be banishing all thoughts of the Carabao Cup for the next month.
The Magpies took a giant step towards booking a spot in their second Carabao Cup final in the space of three years on Tuesday night when they claimed a 2-0 win at Arsenal in the first leg of their semi-final.
However, unlike in previous seasons, when there was a one or two-week gap between the two semi-final matches, Newcastle will not be hosting the second leg against the Gunners until February 5.
Howe will oversee five matches before renewing rivalries with Arsenal – this weekend’s FA Cup third-round tie with Bromley and league matches against Wolves, Bournemouth, Southampton and Fulham – so while the Magpies boss is happy for the club’s fans to get excited about the prospect of a return to Wembley, his own focus will be elsewhere.
“I’ve got no problem with our supporters thinking whatever they need to think or whatever they want to think, but when you’re in my shoes, I think you’ve got to be strategic and plan well,” said Howe. “You've got to look at what's ahead of you in the next few days.
“That's what we've always done, and that's what we'll always do. This (second leg) is in the future, and we’ll look forward to it when it comes around, but it now goes out of my focus totally until it comes back in.
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“My focus is genuinely already turning to Bromley. I’m pleased with the result, but we know there is such a gap to the next tie. Really, we have to put it to the back of our minds because we have that Bromley game and big Premier League games to come. They take on huge importance, but this game will swing round quite quickly and we look forward to it when it comes.”
Newcastle will head into their forthcoming matches in a buoyant mood, with Tuesday’s victory at the Emirates having made it seven wins in a row in all competitions.
That sequence also includes victories at Manchester United and Tottenham, and while Howe admits there are still tweaks he is trying to make, he admits it is much easier to manage a side that is in such good form.
“If you’re winning or losing, you still have problems,” he said. “Not everything is always rosy, there's still challenges in management. But there’s a different feeling (when the team is winning), and you're doing those things and encountering those issues in a positive frame of mind.
“The players are positive and are believing in each other at the moment, and winning is the only thing that can truly glue them together in that way. The challenge for us is to harness that and keep it, and not throw it away because that can sometimes be easily done. We don't take it for granted, which is the most important thing. We're really enjoying it and treasuring the moment.”
