01 April 2023 , 21:30
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Eddie Howe didn’t watch Manchester United lift the Carabao Cup.
Within a few hours of the final whistle, as the emotion and disappointment of Newcastle’s near trophy miss at Wembley subsided, he was already watching a video of the game to work out why his side lost 2-0, and what they could do better.
Howe admitted on Friday he is an intense boss, who rarely switches off. Even in the lowest moments of the cup final defeat he was seeking answers. He found the international break “strange feeling” when he was free from the pressure of making daily decisions or organising full training.
Howe has now viewed the February defeat to the other United several times in preparation for today’s game when a win will haul Newcastle above the Old Trafford giants on goal difference.
He has revealed he revs up for a day's work with dawn gym sessions, which clear his mind, pumps up his body and gives him a focus ahead of training.
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He said: "It seems to work for me. For me, fitness and exercise just gets me into a much better frame of mind to attack my work. I think without it I don't feel as good so it's an important part of my regime. It's a mixture really, I try to lift some weights - I know I might not look like it!
“A bit of cardio in there as well so I tend to work out quite early in the morning. Dan Hodges comes in with me, our sports scientist, and he puts the sessions on for me and I just do what he says. Work is so intense. You are so emotional after games. Even after a season it takes me a couple of weeks to return to normal.”
Eddie Howe is desperate to place revenge on Man Utd (Getty Images)Newcastle are determined to put their Wembley loss right, and Howe says it has only intensified his desire to win a cup on Tyneside. Howe said: “Definitely, definitely. I think whenever you come close to doing something but don’t ultimately get over the line it only intensifies your motivations and desires to achieve that. I’m desperate to do it for everyone connected with the club.”
“There was disappointment. I’ve had many of them in my career. There was a moment where, as I said, that night I ended up watching the game back, and you’re just looking for what we could have done differently.
“How could we have won that game and that’s a normal process for when we don’t achieve what we want. Natural disappointment but quickly focus on the next challenge.”
Newcastle have Joelinton back after suspension and Man U will be missing Casemiro. Statistically Newcastle have the best defence in the league, having conceded just 19 - five fewer than the next best Manchester City.
Eddie Howe has watched Newcastle's Carabao Cup final defeat to Man Utd several times (Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images)Asked if Sven Botman and Fab Schar should be considered for the PFA team of the year Howe said: "Statistically they would make a great case for being in the shake up for that.
“They've both been really, really consistent, very solid, very reliable. You need to have brilliant concentration levels to play centre-half at this level because one slip, one mistake and you're cut open.
"Full credit to those two players who have enjoyed playing with each other I think and they have formed a really good partnership together.
"They like each other, they get on but the real relationship is probably on the pitch where they are very different which I think you need but they also have similar characteristics which go well together.
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"You never quite know how a partnership is going to look until you see it together. You can have an idea, but thankfully from minute one they struck up a good relationship on the pitch."