Newcastle United could be without 13 first team players for tomorrow’s clash with Tottenham – but Eddie Howe is refusing to make excuses.
Already ruled out are Pope, Trippier, Botman, Lascelles, Joelinton, Tonali, Miley, Willock, Almiron, Targett and Wilson, then there’s Hall and Livramento who are both doubts heading into the game.
Hall has a quad issue and hasn’t trained, Livramento is the “closest” to returning but hasn’t rejoined the group and Targett tendonitis in his achilles is thought to be more serious than first feared.
Who starts at left-back is anyone’s guess if all of the above miss out, but Howe believes that “no matter the circumstances”, we have the quality to win games, backing his available players to perform.
“I think you lose control of your destiny if you’re always looking for external factors why you aren’t performing at your best”, Howe said. “I always believe, no matter the circumstances, you can still win games and you can still ask your players to perform. I’ve always been a firm believer of that. It’s still in our hands and I back the players we have to play well.”
