Almost one year ago, a humbled Eddie Howe trudged off the Etihad Stadium turf after taking a Pep Guardiola shellacking. The final few minutes, especially, must have infuriated the Newcastle United boss as a respectable 3-0 defeat to Manchester City turned into a 5-0 hiding.
The remit to stay in the Premier League was more or less achieved but a heavy loss to the reigning - and eventual - champions outlined how far the Magpies need to go. Days earlier, Liverpool edged out a 1-0 win at St James’ Park to keep hot on the tails of City in the title race.
Forever the optimist, Howe valued the footballing lessons he received from Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp at full-time. He said: “The second and third goals were disappointing for us. There can be no better learning curve than playing against Liverpool and Manchester City.
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“They taught us a lot about potential areas for improvement. Manchester City can do that to anybody - they're very good. And the crowd was very good for them today.
“I can assure everybody we are not on the beach. We have just played two world-class teams and got beat. If we can be smart with what we do in the summer and keep the spirit we have in the squad, the future is very bright for the club."
How ironic is it that, 10 months later, the Premier League fixture list sees Newcastle travel to Man City immediately after hosting Liverpool. Only this time, the Magpies suffered a Carabao Cup final defeat sandwiched in between.
However, only the schedule bears any similarity as the challenge at hand could not be more polarising. Despite their recent blip, Newcastle are competing at the upper echelons of the table.
Last year, the Magpies had virtually secured top-flight survival - making the Etihad trip a free hit. This time around, United have a Champions League spot on their minds while aiming to stop a rot of one league win in seven.
Howe viewed previous defeats to Liverpool and City as “learning curves” but the season is approaching examination time. As it stands, the evidence suggests Newcastle are a level below the Premier League heavyweights.
The Toon boss’ parting comment last May focused on needing to “be smart'' in the summer to ensure a “bright future” on Tyneside. With each passing transfer window, the gap shortens. Fans have every reason to feel optimistic long-term but the task of beating Man City - bolstered by Erling Haaland’s arrival - appears as daunting as ever.
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