LONDON: Eddie Howe admits the pain of defeat makes him even more determined to end Newcastle United’s long wait for a trophy.
The Magpies came up short at Wembley as a Casemiro strike and a Sven Botman own-goal saw the Red Devils lift the Carabao Cup.
And while defeat hurts for Howe, he has vowed to make sure this kind of event — reaching the finals of competitions — becomes the norm rather than exception.
“Nothing is guaranteed in football. You have to earn the right to get to these latter stages of the competitions,” said the head coach after the Magpies’ 2-0 loss.
“We have to do that in the league to finish where we want to finish. The work starts again but I hope we’re a different Newcastle and improving continually. Certainly in terms of the players’ efforts and what they’ve given me, I can’t criticize them at all this season. We’re going to need that, and more, to continue to be successful.
Howe said that despite the disappointment of defeat, he is already looking ahead to bringing success to the club.
“We’re desperate to get back here and win a trophy,” he said. “To see the supporters who have been absolutely incredible for us this season disappointed at the end hurts badly. The motivation and thoughts are already to how we can come back here and win the trophy they deserve.”
While the result did not go United’s way, Howe has no regrets about his selections and preparation — and says that he could not be prouder of the efforts of his men in black and white.
“We played really well between both boxes today, we gave everything but we just didn’t get those breaks at both ends. We should have defended the free kick better (for Casemiro’s goal) and then the second goal is a killer,” Howe said.
“We did everything to get back in the game. We had chances but couldn’t take them and that’s why we lost,” he added. “No complaints with how we played, obviously the scoreline doesn’t say that, and that’s where football can be cruel.”
“Individually and collectively, I thought we played well but it just didn’t happen in the box and we need to work on that.
Howe said that he can’t take any positives from losing, but he can from the performance.
“They’ve been committed and give everything for the club,” he said. “I’m sorry we couldn’t deliver for the fans today.”
“The competition we are in now is at a very high level and we need to bridge that gap,” Howe said. “Games are decided by small margins so we need to improve and hopefully we can enjoy more days like this.”
