Eddie Howe spoke to TNT Sports after Newcastle’s draw against Bayer Leverkusen: Newcastle boss Eddie Howe speaking to TNT Sports: “It was a tough game. I thought we played well but it ws tough for us.”
Is it a mentality issue like Anthony Gordon suggested? “I don’t know. Goals happen in games and we have’nt defended well enough today. It was too easy for them to go through the middle of our defence [for the second goal].”
“I wasn’t happy at half-time, not so much with the performance but there was a real lack of belief that we could score. You have to make things happen and really believe internally. Off the ball, we were getting close to them but not in that final yard.”
“[The draw] leaves us in a good position [to qualify in the top eight]. It leaves it in our hands but we have two tough games to come. All we can do is focus back onto the Premier League where we are in a decent vein of form.”
Will Joelinton be okay for the weekend: “I’m not sure. He felt something in his groin so we took him off straight away.”
Goalscorer Anthony Gordon also spoke to TNT: “I don’t know [how the game slipped away] but it’s happening too many times, to be honest.
“The first half an hour was really poor but we reacted well and we came out well in the second half. The manager gave us a kick up the backside and we reacted well.
“Defensively we need to be more tight because we are conceding too many goals late in games. I don’t know if that is fatigue, but it all comes back to mentality. We have to hold out in these games because that is what top teams do.”
On goalscorer Lewis Miley: “He is a fantastic player and does well every time he comes on or when he starts. He has took a big leap this year with his physical and mental development. I am really happy for him.”
