Eddie Howe insists Newcastle ‘did not aim to defend deep’ against AC Milan, praised Nick Pope’s heroics and hopes to ‘grow and improve’ after our battling 0-0 draw at the San Siro.
At times we certainly rode our luck as AC Milan had as many as nine shots on target with Nick Pope making six saves in the first 20 minutes.
Thanks to the former Burnley shot-stopper, we registered our second clean sheet in a row – after just two since February – with Howe claiming he was ‘outstanding’ and a ‘huge part of our success last season’.
The boss has also vowed that we will be seeing a ‘different Newcastle’ against PSG, suggesting the atmosphere and emotion of the game affected the players and result.
Sandro Tonali made his return to the San Siro after arriving from Milan in the summer and was praised by Howe for how well he coped, but he also made it known it was important Howe we ‘manage him’.
Here’s what Howe had to say on the performance:
“We did not aim to defend deep. Our defending was a bit loose. But around the game we defended the 18 yard box perfectly.
“It was crucial to defend the goal, but that’s not how we prepared for the match. We tried to attack and push forward, but we didn’t succeed. We stayed compact defensively, and it worked well because they couldn’t score.
“We are not disappointed with the result, but perhaps we lacked some luck. We defended with our bodies on their shots. Of course, to progress in this tournament, we need to do better, but let’s not focus on the negatives.”
Howe on moving forwards to our next game against PSG:
“We know we can grow and improve. We can be very positive about the next game.
“We must consider the atmosphere and the emotion at the beginning. We will improve, and in the next match, you will see a different Newcastle.”
Howe on Tonali’s return to the San Siro:
“Sandro did a good job; it was a very emotional match for him. No one would have coped well with such emotional pressure. I think he covered the first half well and helped us a lot. Now, we need to see how we will manage him.”
Howe on Nick Pope:
“I thought he was outstanding today. He was excellent against Brentford although he didn’t have a lot to do and his all-round game was at his highest level.
“It’s no coincidence Two big displays and two clean sheets from him which is absolutely crucial to us. He was a huge part of our success last year and no doubt he’ll be the same this year.”
