Howe on rotation, Gordon's role and Almiron
- Published
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Carabao Cup game against League Two side AFC Wimbledon (kick-off 19:45 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Howe confirmed Alexander Isak and Matt Targett will remain out for the match while a "late decision" will be made on both Kieran Trippier and Sandro Tonali.
On how much rotation can be expected for the game: "I think we will see it as an opportunity to get game time for those that maybe haven't had it but we'll still pick a very strong team and ultimately pick one that can get us through to the next round. Our preparation will be the same as it would be for a Premier League game. We'll take it absolutely seriously and try and produce another good performance."
When asked whether Will Osula will get the chance to start: "Possibly. We're assessing our options. We're light in the centre-forward areas. I thought Anthony [Gordon] did really well on Saturday, I was really pleased with his commitment to the role. His endeavour and pressing was incredible and I think it gave us a really good route into the game and getting our press and intensity back to the levels it has been historically. We really like Will, he's settled in really well and he's training well behind the scenes. We're developing his game in lots of different areas, so I'll have to make a decision on the team."
On hosting the game at St James' Park: "It's not every day what happened, happens. We've switched venues but we wish them well and hope they can get their ground back to a level where it can host games again soon. For us, we take the game seriously whether it's home or away."
On the lack of minutes for Miguel Almiron this season: "Miguel will be like every other player that wants to play and wants to make a difference with his qualities. He's really highly valued by all of us and it's been difficult to get the minutes he craved early season but this is a big moment for him to show his qualities. He's an outstanding player and athlete and made a huge contribution to our success in recent years and someone we would love to see play well."
On how much the squad has suffered without Isak and Wilson pushing each other: "It's been a dynamic that we have certainly missed and I think the players have missed themselves. Even last year they were dovetailing, one was fit and the other was missing out and we never got the strength of having both available. It's a dynamic we need and I think the players need. Whether that's for rotation so they are both fit and fresh or whether that's for competition."
When asked about a positional change for Gordon: "I would probably still say his best position is as a left-winger but he can and does have the ability to play different roles, a number nine being one of them, and he can play it very well. You could see a few moments on Saturday when receiving the ball with his back to goal, that's a totally different skill to receiving the ball side on as he does as a winger. You need work and time to develop those skills, which I'm sure he could if trained there on a consistent basis. He has so many great skills as a winger, his ability in wide areas is as good as there is in the Premier League so we have to be careful before changing that too much."
