Eddie Howe is channelling Newcastle’s recent Champions League heartbreak into a fierce determination to overcome arch-rivals Sunderland in their upcoming derby clash.
The Magpies endured a crushing 7-2 loss to Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night, as they slumped to an 8-3 aggregate defeat and crashed out of Europe.
Despite the dramatic exit from Europe’s elite competition, there is no time for the squad to dwell on their wounds. The focus has immediately shifted to Sunday lunchtime’s pivotal derby on Tyneside.
Reflecting on the bruising end to what had promised to be a special night in Spain, Howe stated: "I’ve got no problem picking myself up, it’s more the players. I’m able to move quite quickly through things, the game and the review process, to then think of the future very quickly."
He added: "Now it’s all about Sunderland, it’s not about what’s happened. It’s about learning from it and evolving and changing if we need to.
“It’s about the next game and making sure we’re mentally ready, physically ready for what’s going to be a huge game for us and for the whole city, so I think that’s quite a good game for us to go straight into because there’s no time for any other thought than that."
The stakes for this weekend’s encounter are exceptionally high, intensified by Newcastle’s 1-0 league defeat by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in December.
On that occasion, the Magpies failed to perform, succumbing to a Nick Woltemade own goal. While Howe did guide his side to a convincing 3-0 FA Cup victory against Sunderland in January 2024, he remains acutely aware of the significance of the upcoming fixture.
"It’s huge. There’s no point talking about it though, we’ve just got to play. We’ve got to play like our lives depend on it," Howe emphasised.
"It’s such a big game for the city, for our supporters, for everyone connected with the club. We know that. We knew it before the first game and we know it even more now. We need to deal with this very quickly and then move on to Sunday."
In Barcelona, Anthony Elanga’s double had briefly cancelled out goals from Raphinha and Marc Bernal, but Newcastle ultimately collapsed after Lamine Yamal’s penalty in first-half stoppage time.
Further strikes from Fermin Lopez, a Robert Lewandowski brace, and Raphinha’s second sealed their fate. Howe also faces a potential setback with key midfielder Sandro Tonali a doubt after limping off with a groin problem.
Critiquing his team’s performance, Howe concluded: "Our performance dropped, that was very clear. The first four goals, you can’t concede.
“Two set-plays is unforgivable to a degree because you know how good they are in other aspects of their game."
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