“We couldn’t sustain our energy,” manager says; “We’ll need fans for Barcelona”
Eddie Howe has blamed Newcastle’s loss to Manchester City on the number of games his side have played this season, although he also admitted that Pep Guardiola’s side “played really well”.
Newcastle made an energetic start in front of their home crowd and were rewarded in the 18th minute when Harvey Barnes put the Magpies ahead. For a spell, Eddie Howe’s side looked capable of unsettling Pep Guardiola’s team with their intensity and pressing.
City, however, gradually settled into the contest and began to assert control. Savinho equalised just before the break and then Omar Marmoush completed the turnaround two minutes into the second half, before adding a second goal in the 65th minute to put the result beyond doubt and secure City’s progress to the last eight.
Howe rued his side’s inability to maintain their early tempo.
“Good start from us, really good for half an hour,” Newcastle’s manager said. “Probably two things happened: we couldn’t sustain our start in terms of energy but they also played really well. We just have to accept that.”
As the match wore on, City took more and more of a vice-like grip on affairs and by Marmoush’s third goal the game looked well and truly over even though there was still around half an hour to play.
Howe said physical demands on his players were a factor counting against his side. No Premier League side have played more games this season than Newcastle.
“I felt we maybe ran out of gas, certainly in the second half but also towards the end of the first half,” Howe said. “You have to say they were a very good side. We needed the ball to try and generate pressure but we couldn’t get enough of it.
Newcastle are 12th in the league but still alive in the last 16 of the Champions League, although they have a difficult double-header against Barcelona. Howe called on the fans to maintain their support as they compete in the only competition left with much to play for.
“The crowd were magnificent today,” Howe said. “They didn’t have a lot to shout about after that initial period but they stayed with us and were cheering at the end. We will need them for the Champions League.”
