Howe on Wilson worry, Saint-Maximin challenge and his glimpse to the future after Man City draw
Eddie Howe has been speaking to the press following Sunday's outstanding clash at St James' Park, which saw us to toe to toe with Man City in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The boss has revealed that Callum Wilson felt a "tightness" in his hamstring at half-time, which explains why he was replaced by Chris Wood on the 69th minute, as Howe felt he was holding back from fully sprinting. Thankfully, he's suffered no injury, but it's a worry that he was feeling it and more proof that another striker is needed.
As for Allan Saint-Maximin, the manager believes this was his best display since he took the job, challenging the Frenchman to produce this level of performance on a consistent basis - and not just 'in flashes' - after three assists and some stunning dribbling that left Kyle Walker in a daze!
Howe also discussed how our front foot, aggressive and brave approach was hopefully a glimpse of what's to come on Tyneside, believing this "aggressive" and "progressive" style of play is what's needed to help us grown into a top team in our own right.
Here's what he had to say about all of the above after Sunday's classic...
Eddie Howe on Callum Wilson's withdrawal:
“Callum was feeling his hamstring at half-time. It was just a tightness, nothing more than that, but we were aware watching him in the second half that he wasn’t fully opening up.
“We felt at that moment the team probably needed someone who could fully sprint, and we just wanted to protect him from serious injury.”
Eddie Howe on Saint-Maximin:
“I thought today was a very, very good performance from Maxi.
"It was his best performance since I’ve been managing him. He got every aspect of his game in a very good place. His pace was there, you could see he was electric.
“His decision-making with the ball was very good, he defended well, I thought he gave a great display. In that form, he gives us a totally different dimension to our team. It’s so important for us.
“The challenge for Maxi is, ‘Can you bring that game every week, not just in flashes?’ That will dictate how good a season he has.”
Eddie Howe on the overall performance:
“There’s no right or wrong approach, there’s just an approach that suits you and your team at that moment.
“For us, and where we want to try to get to, I don’t see the top teams sitting off or sitting deep.
“The majority of top teams around in world football are very aggressive, progressive and brave, and I think that’s the model we’re going to need to have long-term success. That’s what I believe. Hopefully, that’s a display with a promise that shows what the future can look like.
“Of course, there’s no guarantee that with that approach, you’re going to be successful. It’s very hard to be. The constant need for improvement is there in our game, and we have to improve a lot to get to Manchester City’s level.
"We’re still in the process of growing and developing, but there are some promising signs.”
