Eddie Howe Says Newcastle Will Not ‘shrink’ In Barcelona Last-16 Second Leg

A week agone Eddie Howe called it nan “biggest lucifer successful nan club’s history”, and that was successful Newcastle; this clip it’s Barcelona, but Howe has insisted his players will not beryllium overawed erstwhile they locomotion retired astatine Camp Nou for nan 2nd limb of their Champions League last-16 2nd limb connected Wednesday night.

“You can’t shrink astatine nan size of nan game, and I don’t deliberation we will,” nan Newcastle head said. “We person sewage galore players who person played successful truthful galore games now; we person go accustomed to it.”

Howe besides said that, bolstered by their 1-0 triumph against Chelsea connected Sunday, his broadside are successful “as bully a spot arsenic immoderate clip this season”, and attack nan 2nd limb pinch assurance aft it took a Lamine Yamal punishment successful added clip to contradict them triumph astatine St James’s Park successful nan first encounter.

Asked if a triumph would beryllium nan biggest of his career, Howe replied: “It astir apt would be, yeah, but it’s irrelevant because that’s nan result and we’re successful nan preparatory phase. We person to make judge our crippled plan, tactical transportation and individual performances are astatine nan correct level. We person different massive, monolithic crippled astatine nan play [against Sunderland], truthful I don’t want to heap excessively overmuch unit connected nan players. I conscionable want them to effort to execute nan champion capacity they can.

“We person many, galore internationals successful nan squad truthful I don’t spot [shrinking] arsenic an issue. We person capable players who tin origin them problems. We’ll bask nan game, but we’ll only genuinely bask it if we deliver. I deliberation we’re successful a bully spot to do that, and nan players are astir apt arsenic assured arsenic they’ve been successful immoderate shape this season.

“Our caller performances person been really strong. The individuals are performing astatine a really precocious level – that hasn’t ever been nan case. We request everything to spell our measurement tomorrow. We cognize really bully Barcelona are, but we judge successful ourselves.

“We will effort to beryllium ourselves. We request a spot of everything. A protect mentality [like] against Chelsea: blocking shots, defending successful numbers. But besides a spot of what we do best: our moving capacity, our athleticism. There has been a really bully conflict betwixt their midfield and ours successful some games. We are going to request to beryllium very bully successful our duels. The conflict successful midfield will spell a agelong measurement to deciding nan game.”

Howe besides backed Sandro Tonali aft his supplier suggested that nan Italian would beryllium looking for a move successful nan summer. “The personification that matters astir is Sandro,” nan 48-year-old said. “All I person ever seen from him is personification who is wholly committed, selfless. He is present for each nan squad not himself. He had a really difficult infinitesimal erstwhile he first joined and showed spot and characteristic to get through. Forget nan noise, he is afloat committed.”

Kieran Trippier, meanwhile, said that he could ne'er person imagined a infinitesimal for illustration this erstwhile he joined Newcastle 4 years agone and said that if he does time off erstwhile his statement expires this summertime he will spell emotion satisfied. “I sewage criticised erstwhile I near Atlético [Madrid]; I sewage a batch of negativity for a batch of different reasons, but I had my reasons and this [game] justifies it a bit,” said nan defender. “I person nary regrets, I ne'er person pinch immoderate determination successful football.

“I ne'er thought we would play successful nan Champions League, to beryllium honest, and now we person been present twice. There person been 2 cup finals. This is wherever we want to be. There person been galore typical moments. Ten 1000 Geordies are coming retired speaks volumes: they person backed america successful nan reliable moments.”