Eddie Howe does not mind his players taking on the role of underdogs in Monday night's clash with Arsenal. The Gunners beat United 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium last November in his first match in the dugout just days after recovering from Covid.
Since then he has guided his team to safety in the Premier League having left London on that November afternoon sitting bottom of the table. That afternoon two second half goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli caused the damage for Howe and co. This time Newcastle will go into the game with confidence.
Howe said: "There’s a definite gap between us and the top sides but we’re not fazed by that, we’re not surprised by that. That’s where we are at the moment. We have to figure out a way of being more competitive in those games and picking up points. There are certain games I look back on and think we should have got more, we should have done better in some moments, but that’s a learning curve for us and that’s something we’ll try to address next season."
READ MORE: Eddie Howe responds to talk of Newcastle United signing Lucas Paqueta
Newcastle fans are simply happy to stay up this season but there are still two possible achievements for Howe and his players. They can finish in the top 10 for the first time since 2018 and pick up their most points in the top-flight since promotion in 2017.
