Eddie Howe: Carabao Cup win may be better than coming second in Premier League
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says winning the Carabao Cup might be even more special than finishing second in the Premier League.
The Magpies, who beat Liverpool at Wembley in March to claim their first piece of domestic silverware since 1955, head into Sunday's penultimate fixture of the league campaign at Arsenal knowing victory at the Emirates Stadium would leave them in with a chance of clinching the runners-up spot.
That is something they have not managed since 1997, when Kenny Dalglish repeated Kevin Keegan's feat of 12 months earlier.
However, asked if that would represent a bigger achievement than winning a cup, head coach Howe said: 'It's a difficult one to answer and it's difficult to compare as well.
'Winning silverware, when I first arrived at the football club, was a dream and an ambition at that stage.
'It felt like a long way away, so to actually win silverware and the reaction that generated will never, never leave me. I don't think you can compare the two things.'
That day at Wembley represented a glorious culmination of the work Howe, his staff and their players had done since arriving on Tyneside in November 2021, when they inherited a team battling relegation.
Three-and-a-half years on, they will run out at the Emirates with a first trophy banked and three wins over the Gunners already this season, an illustration of the progress they have made, in particular when they have come up against the traditional big six.
Howe said: 'I don't think we would have won the Carabao Cup if we hadn't have had those wins beforehand. The fact we'd beaten other clubs, not in a one-off situation, but a regular fashion in the last couple of years, helps you go into those games with a belief that you can win it again.
'We would like to continue to build that, but those games are very difficult, home or away. But we have full internationals and players who have done it at various other levels and competitions. We have the inner belief that we can win anywhere now.
'We know we have to be at our best to do that. If you go back to Manchester City away, we weren't at our best and were really disappointed with ourselves.
'The players understand that now – if we drop, we'll get beaten; if we play to our maximum, we can win.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
Newport removed from Fifa transfer ban list
Newport County are no longer under a transfer ban with world governing body Exiles were placed on the Fifa Registration Ban List on 30 May - with the issue understood to stem from a compensation fee that Newport believes has already been paid to another English Football League (EFL) club for an academy meant they were unable to proceed with any new player transactions, although Newport stated it was "a minor administration dispute with Fifa", adding that the issue would be "settled shortly".The League Two side - now managed by David Hughes - no longer feature on the list, meaning they are able to resume their work in the transfer first summer window closes at 19:00 BST on Tuesday, 10 second window runs from Monday, 16 June to 19:00 BST on Monday, 1 September.
The Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘Players are not enjoying it' – Phil Taylor makes explosive claim about Premier League Darts and demands urgent change
DARTS legend Phil Taylor has slammed the format of the Premier League. Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler in the play-off showpiece to end the 16-night roadshow. 2 2 The eight-player format involving a quarter, semi and final every Thursday has been in place since 2022. But Taylor is not a fan of the setup, saying: "It's very tiring… I think they do need to look at it now. "It needs revamping, that's what I think. A lot of the players are not enjoying it and you can tell." Fans also criticised the repetitive format after last week's final and so did legend Steve Beaton, labelling it "boring". He argued that seeing top players face each other regularly dampens the blockbuster feel to the match-ups. But Taylor has been entertained by the standard of play on show throughout this year's Premier League. He added: "Luke and Luke are really setting the standards at the moment. "The levels they're producing and how they're bringing the best out of each other — it's incredible for the rest of the sport. "And not just Luke and Luke — I love watching Chris Dobey. "Nathan Aspinall is playing superb. Absolutely superb. He's won two or three of these Premier Leagues. He's done brilliant.'
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Thomas Tuchel reveals why he thinks Trent Alexander-Arnold is a good fit for Real Madrid - as England boss makes request to fans over Liverpool departee's controversial move
England manager Thomas Tuchel has offered his verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold 's contentious move to Real Madrid. The defender caused uproar among the Liverpool fan base when he revealed he would be leaving the club for Spain, with it initially looking like he would be departing for free after a 20-year stay at his boyhood club. However, Arne Slot 's side did secure a mega £10million fee from Madrid for Alexander-Arnold to join them early and therefore play in the upcoming Club World Cup. Before then, the 26-year-old joined his England team-mates in Catalonia as they prepare for their third World Cup qualifier under Tuchel. The Three Lions face Andorra on Saturday before heading back to England to face Senegal in a friendly at the City Ground. Ahead of Alexander-Arnold's blockbuster switch, Tuchel explained why he believes the right back will perform well in LaLiga. 'I think he has what it takes to play for that club,' the German tactician told ITV Sport. 'First for [his] outstanding quality, self-awareness of his quality - I think Trent is very well aware of what he does really, really good. 'And he can influence matches with one or two actions decisively, with his crosses, with his passes, switches of play. So I can see that he has what it takes.' Tuchel went on to note that Madrid's shirt weighs heavy, and implored fans to give Alexander-Arnold time to adjust to the Spanish top flight. The 51-year-old continued: 'You can never predict it, you can never underestimate the pressure and the challenge that comes with the shirt, the club and the stadium. 'But let's give him a chance. It's a big challenge for him and it's exciting new times. Hopefully he does well.' Alexander-Arnold was at Liverpool since joining their academy back in 2004 and captained the club across its youth levels. After breaking into the first team in 2016, he represented the Reds in 354 senior games and helped bring seven different pieces of silverware to Anfield. Alexander-Arnold (64) has provided the third-most assists in Liverpool history (64), behind only Steven Gerrard (92) and Mohamed Salah (86). Replacing him as Liverpool's starting right back will either be fellow academy graduate Conor Bradley or new signing Jeremie Frimpong. The Reds activated the former Bayer Leverkusen star's £29.5m release clause last month. The right wing back inked a five-year contract at Anfield and became their first summer signing.
