Eddie Howe cancelled Newcastle United's Christmas party due to busy schedule & injuries

Eddie Howe is coming under pressure after Newcastle exit from Champions League

Eddie Howe was cancelling Christmas at Newcastle United on Monday, and he was pulling a Scrooge impersonation.

The fixtures, along with the injuries, are piling up for the Magpies, who take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday night.

Eleven players are now listed as missing, with the most recent additions being Joelinton (hamstring) and Fabian Schar (glute). Eddie Howe responded as follows when inquired if his players were planning on having a Christmas party:

 ‘I certainly hope not! If they are, it is unbeknown to me. We have too many games and too busy a schedule for a party like that, I hope!’

‘Absolutely not,’ he said, when asked if defeat could be a blessing. ‘We want the games, we want the competition. We want the excitement of challenging for trophies. That’s where we have to be, not just now but in the future.

The dream didn’t turn to reality (last season), but maybe this year. It’s our best chance of winning a trophy at the moment, because we’re advanced in the competition and getting down to the serious end of it. That is why this game takes on big importance for us.

‘You go back to the last round, at Manchester United, the players stood up and gave an outstanding performance. This will be very similar, and we will need to give more.

‘We’ve been thrust into the most difficult cup draws,’ said Howe. ‘But that has really stretched us and taken us out of our comfort zone. It’s made us improve, although sometimes you need a bit longer to show that improvement, but no part of me regrets that or thinks, “Oh, it’s a negative”. 

‘It’s a positive. It is forcing us to improve continually and to be the team we want to be long term. We have to be exposed to those games to get closer.’

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For the journey to Stamford Bridge, Alexander Isak (groyne) is uncertain, and Joe Willock (Achilles) and Harvey Barnes (foot) have both had setbacks recently.

However, Eddie Howe won’t let the injuries diminish the significance of the Carabao Cup—especially after making it to the championship game the previous year.

In the meantime, Martin Dubravka disclosed that during what he acknowledges was one of the “strangest” moments of his career, Manchester United carried his Carabao Cup winners’ medal to St James’ Park the previous season.

Before coming back to Newcastle United in January, the goalie played for Old Trafford on loan for the first part of the season.

Afterwards, in February, the two teams faced off in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Cup-tied Dubravka witnessed Man United triumph 2-0, earning him a medal as he had participated in two of the previous rounds.

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