Newcastle’s season has gone down to the final day as they need a result at home to Everton to seal Champions League football – and may have to do so without talisman Alexander Isak
Eddie Howe is adamant Newcastle can beat Everton and qualify for the Champions League even if top scorer Alexander Isak is ruled out.
The Swede missed last week’s defeat at Arsenal and hasn’t trained with the first team squad this week. Isak, who is nursing a groin injury, will be assessed on Saturday with Howe prepared to wait until the last minute before naming his side. But he believes that the Magpies can secure a top five finish this weekend irrespective of their talisman’s availability
“I am confident because I don’t think we are truly reliant on one player,” said Howe. “The team’s strength is the team itself. Yes, you need good individuals but we pride ourselves on being very team orientated.
“We know every single member of it is so important to the delivery of what we do. We’ve missed some key players in our recent run such as Kieran Trippier, Joelinton and Lewis Hall who have all had huge impacts and been successful without them. And that will be the case if Alex doesn’t make it. Someone else has to step up and grab the mantle.”
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Newcastle have drawn one and lost three of the league games they’ve played without Isak – and their only goal in those four was an Anthony Gordon penalty against Manchester City. But despite the importance of the Everton clash, Howe won’t gamble.
“We’ll only play him if he’s fit to contribute,” he added. “He has to be fit to give his best and be free in his movement because he’s that kind of player. He’s made good progress through the week so there’s a chance.
“It’s difficult to give any more than that really. Until he trains with us, we won’t fully know how he’s going to respond.” Callum Wilson deputised at Arsenal in only his second league start of the campaign.
But against a well-drilled Everton backline, Moyes is aware the raw and unpredictable Will Osula could be the Toon wildcard while switching Gordon to a central role against his former club is another option. Whatever Newcastle’s fate in terms of which European competition they play in, Howe knows it should be a more rewarding summer for him than 12 months ago.
“There’s a difference in mentality from a recruitment perspective because we knew that we weren’t recruiting last summer,” said the Newcastle boss, who heads off on a family holiday early next week. “We were in a selling position because we needed to raise revenue.
“And that’s a totally different mindset to being where we are now with different possibilities. Without knowing how the window is going to unfold, there is lots of positivity at the start and then you see how it goes through the window.”
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