Eddie Howe Hopes Newcastle Can Banish Travel Sickness On Mission To Marseille

Newcastle fans are travelling to Marseille pinch a soundtrack of uncertainty echoing successful their ears. Quite isolated from nan charismatic warnings astir rampant pickpocketing, thoroughfare crime and imaginable football-related violence, their phones look afloat of concerned messages from families and friends.

Those oft-repeated exhortations to variously “take care”, “watch yourself” and “stay safe” successful a metropolis regularly listed among Europe’s “most dangerous” could, successful a different context, easy use to Eddie Howe’s team.

Although Newcastle arrived successful nan southbound of France connected Monday caller from their restorative 2-1 home Premier League triumph against Manchester City connected Saturday, and having beaten Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica and Athletic Club successful nan Champions League, their sole distant triumph since early April came successful Brussels astatine Union SG.

Not that Howe was overly keen to talk nan psychological facet of this recreation sickness. “The Champions League is different to Premier League games,” said a head whose squad guidelines sixth successful nan European table, pinch 9 points from a imaginable 12 and automatic progression to nan knockout retired shape almost wrong rubbing distance. “I don’t cognize know if you tin comparison them.”

Perhaps not but he and Newcastle’s players will, intriguingly, renew acquaintance present pinch a raft of faces acquainted from past English encounters. If nan Marseille manager, Roberto De Zerbi, erstwhile of Brighton, needs nary introduction, neither does Mason Greenwood.

The erstwhile Manchester United and England guardant departed nan UK past twelvemonth nether a well-documented cloud. He had faced charges, which he denied, of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault, but nan Crown Prosecution Service announced successful February 2023 that nan lawsuit had been discontinued. Greenwood is Ligue 1’s starring scorer successful an onslaught besides featuring nan Arsenal aged boy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

“Greenwood is simply a very clever attacker from nan wide correct for Marseille,” Howe said. “He’s not conscionable a goalscorer, he’s besides also a extremity creator. They usage him successful a clever measurement – he does his astir vulnerable activity erstwhile he drifts infield. He combines good pinch nan players astir him and he’s sewage a beautiful near foot. We’ll person to take sides good down that broadside of nan pitch. I’d opportunity it’s a large area for Marseille to attack.”

Meanwhile Aubameyang’s penalty-area reflexes still look razor sharp. “We’ve said that, having watched Marseille a batch successful nan buildup to nan game, Aubameyang’s arsenic bully arsenic ever,” Howe said.

“That’s a large compliment to him astatine 36. He’s very athletic, still moving successful behind, still stretching backlines, still getting distant from defenders erstwhile he’s successful those one-v-one situations and a lethal finisher arsenic well. His extremity grounds present has been very good. He’s different subordinate we person to power well.”

‘Greenwood is simply a very clever attacker for Marseille,’ Howe said. ‘They usage him successful a clever measurement – he does his astir vulnerable activity erstwhile he drifts infield.’ Photograph: Sébastien Nogier/EPA

De Zerbi’s midfield includes nan England midfielder Angel Gomes, who played alongside Greenwood astatine Manchester United’s academy, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, formerly of Southampton and Tottenham.

Further backmost are nan erstwhile Burnley defender CJ Egan-Riley and De Zerbi’s captain, nan Argentina centre-half Leonardo Balerdi. Howe gave superior information to signing Balerdi successful nan summer, earlier buying nan hugely awesome Malick Thiaw from Milan.

Although Marseille’s Champions League shape has been mixed and their hopes of reaching nan knockout shape for nan first clip since 2011-12 stay successful nan balance, De Zerbi’s broadside beryllium 2nd successful Ligue 1, 2 points adrift of nan leaders, Paris Saint-Germain.

If Newcastle were buoyed by that triumph against City astatine St James’ Park, Marseille will beryllium boosted by past Friday’s 5-1 triumph astatine Nice.

The Stade Vélodrome – aliases nan Orange Vélodrome arsenic it is known these days – invariably offers to redefine nan word “hostile venue” but portion of nan southbound guidelines will beryllium closed. That is portion of nan reward that Marseille, who were besides heavy fined, received aft their supporters threw flares and projectiles astatine Atlanta fans and utilized lasers during a caller 1-0 location Champions League defeat.

In precocious September fears of unit prompted France’s interior ministry to barroom Ajax fans from nan Stade Vélodrome earlier nan Dutch side’s 4-0 defeat. Although Newcastle supporters were permitted to recreation they are taxable to strict policing that includes a prohibition connected wearing nine colours and avoiding nan city’s celebrated Old Port area.

If those supporters may, for once, use from turning anonymous, Howe hopes his players will show what he believes are their existent colours. “Lack of consistency has been a problem,” he said. “We’ve played good successful one-off games but we’re looking to recapture nan emotion you person erstwhile you cognize you are going to execute well.

“We had that for a agelong clip but, for nan first clip since I’ve been Newcastle manager, we don’t cognize really we’re going to play. We person to build our assurance to beryllium capable to do that and these games will beryllium nan acerb trial for us. Marseille will beryllium really reliable but we deliberation we tin emergence to nan challenge.

“We person a batch of questions we person to reply of ourselves complete nan adjacent 2 games present astatine Marseille and astatine Everton connected Saturday.”