The Newcastle boss had a lot to say ahead of the Champions League clash with Barcelona
Eddie Howe has urged those around Newcastle to “forget the noise” surrounding Sandro Tonali after the Italian’s agent suggested the midfielder could use the club as a stepping stone to a bigger move.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Barcelona, Howe was strong on his defence of a player who has become central to Newcastle’s European campaign.
“At the moment, the person that matters the most in this is Sandro. So I prefer to take my lead from him. And all I’ve ever seen from Sandro is someone who’s totally committed, very much part of the team, very selfless at times. He’s here for the team. He’s not necessarily here for himself.”
Howe also pointed to Tonali’s resilience following the betting ban that threatened to derail his career after joining from AC Milan. “He had a really difficult moment when he first joined, and he showed real strength of character to get through that. Forget the noise around Sandro. He’s just fully committed.”
The Italian has been ill in the days leading into the tie, with Howe confirming his fitness remains to be assessed. “We will have a look at Sandro today. It’s an opportunity to train and we’ll make a decision. We hope he feels strong enough.”
Trippier’s experience invaluable
With the tie level at 1-1 after a draw at St James’ Park, Howe reserved particular praise for Kieran Trippier, whose experience of Spanish football, having spent three and a half years at Atletico Madrid, has proven invaluable in the build-up.
Howe revealed the veteran right-back has been drawing on his time in Spain to prepare his team-mates.
“Kieran always speaks and always has a few words to say, I think, in a really positive way. He’s been a great leader for me and for the players since he’s arrived at this football club. He has invaluable experiences of this league that we enter.”
“He’s telling stories to the players and to the coaches about previous games that he’s had. His leadership skills, his dependability, have been really important this season. He’s been a big player for us for the injuries that we’ve suffered to our back line, and he continues to deliver some outstanding performances. I’ve been delighted with him.”
Selection headache for Howe
With Anthony Gordon and the rest of the squad desperate for a place in the starting eleven, Howe admitted the selection process for the Camp Nou will be his toughest call of the season. “I’m sure everyone in the squad will want to play this game. I’ve got the tough decision to select 11 players out of the players that we have, and that’s going to be a tough call, because there’ll be some disappointed players that really want to showcase what they can do”, he added.
“However long you play, if you’re introduced late in the game, you’ve got to try and make the difference. It might be someone that doesn’t start the game that’s the decisive match winner. So they have to look at it that way.”
