Eddie Howe has warned Newcastle’s owners that greater strength in depth will be needed to help us cope with the demands of European football next season.
Whether it’s the Champions or Europa League – the former will be secured if we win on Monday – we’ll be regularly playing more than once a week, handing us a “huge challenge” to go again in the Premier League, compete in Europe and go on a cup run in the domestic competitions.
He believes Leicester and West Ham have shown how tough it can be if a squad becomes stretched, especially when a good European campaign can sometimes impact Premier League form; a trend Howe is determined to avoid next season. Mike Ashley followed a 5th place finish with just one senior signing 11 years ago, but I’m sure our Saudi-backed owners won’t make the same mistake over a decade later.
The boss insists that rotation will become even more important next season. A core group of around 15 players have featured heavily for the majority of 2022/23, but Howe admits that greater numbers will be needed, saying ‘two XIs of equal strength’ may be needed.
Here’s what he had to say when speaking to the press about the challenges ahead now European football has been confirmed:
“The potential pitfalls that we face next season will be expectations. What you can’t underestimate is the demands that Europe will place upon us, whichever competition we are in.
“That is going to be very very difficult and it is going to be new to us so that is a huge challenge for us. You look at Leicester’s example and you can never underestimate what that takes out of the squad in terms of the demand of Premier League to Europe to Premier League and West Ham this year would be another example.
“They have done brilliantly in Europe but probably because of those demands their Premier League form has suffered a little bit so it’s something we are going to have to think long and hard about.
“The expectation is the challenge. Suddenly, everything is raised, and that then becomes normal. If you finish fourth, fifth, sixth, anything below that is then viewed as a failure – and that is very difficult, because the challenge of the Premier League is so tough. That’s for next year, not now.
“I think if you have a strong squad, rotation will be important. Rotation is going to be important, utilising the whole squad is going to be important.
“We haven’t felt the necessity to necessarily do that on a consistent basis because we’ve been in one competition – of course, we had the cup run. We have rotated to a degree, but maybe not in the numbers that we might need to next year.
“If you’re going to do that, then the squad needs to be strong enough, so if you put out two XIs, they’re of equal strength.”
Recent reports have linked us with summer moves for a right-sided centre-back, left-back, two midfielders, a winger and versatile forward, which sounds about right if we’re looking to have two quality players in each position. A busy summer awaits!
