Not bad at all. After saving Newcastle from a near-certain relegation in his debut season, a fourth-place finish in 2022-23 secured Champions League qualification, despite losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United. If multiple injuries were largely to blame for last season's mildly disappointing seventh place, concerns about the former Bournemouth manager's longevity at St James' Park have emerged after five Premier League games without a win, a slide to 12th, and only nine goals scored in nine league games. Notably, Howe looked visibly relieved after Wednesday's Carabao Cup victory against Chelsea but will face scrutiny again when Arsenal visits on Saturday.
Howe recently urged fans to stop booing his substitutions, but the supporter who shouted 'I love you Eddie' during the Chelsea win likely reflected the majority view. For now, those questioning whether Rafa Benítez, a beloved former Newcastle manager, could do better with this squad remain in the minority. Having moved Newcastle away from the back three that worked well under Benítez but faltered under Steve Bruce, Howe has mostly stuck to a flexible 4-3-3 formation with plenty of positional interchange. After declaring 'intensity is our identity,' he introduced a high, hard press that has stunned several top teams, including Paris Saint-Germain, over the past two seasons. Players like Fabian Schär and Sean Longstaff, who struggled under Bruce, thrived, and Joelinton's shift from center-forward to midfield was a masterstroke.
However, the downside was the series of injuries, often soft tissue, that led to James Bunce's appointment as performance director this summer. His adjustments to Howe's training methods might be responsible for Newcastle's slow start. Unlike Benítez, Howe is not a fan of rotation and refreshes his lineup sparingly. Players sometimes get mini-rests when Newcastle employs time-wasting tactics to protect leads. Watch out for Nick Pope feigning injury or Schär suggesting concussion. Howe's assistant, Jason Tindall, enjoys winding up opposition technical areas.
Initially, Howe's approach was nearly flawless. He forged a powerful unity by sharing his life story candidly with the squad and asking for similar openness from the players. New signings, like England winger Anthony Gordon, found Howe's tactical drills 'very complex and difficult' but took months to grasp. Howe's door is always open. Midfielder Joe Willock says he never felt he could 'confide' in a head coach before Howe, whose willingness to listen made 'all the difference.' Howe's concern for players extends to buying parenting manuals for new fathers.
Missteps are rare, but with key players like Alexander Isak seeking lucrative contract extensions and Kieran Trippier controversially losing the captaincy to the sometimes overly emotional Bruno Guimarães, Howe has admitted struggling to recapture the squad's 'harmony' this season. With Trippier unsettled, he has lost his former dressing-room 'first lieutenant.' There's also a sense that Howe's desire to keep Guimarães happy has led to the Brazilian retaining the central midfield role that Italy's Sandro Tonali might be better suited for. Similarly, with Gordon coveting a left-wing role, Howe struggles to accommodate the gifted Harvey Barnes.
Howe was appointed by Newcastle's then minority co-owner and director Amanda Staveley and had a close working relationship with her until her sudden departure in July. That abrupt exit hit him hard, removing a helpful conduit with the Riyadh-based majority ownership and placing Howe on a collision course with Newcastle's new sporting director, Paul Mitchell. A manager who enjoyed high autonomy over all areas at Bournemouth and demands a big say in recruitment, Howe failed to appreciate Mitchell's efforts to limit his influence. A turf war ensued, with Howe, unusually, inviting reporters to a preseason training camp near Nuremberg, hinting he could leave, possibly for the then vacant England job, if not kept happy. Since then, an uneasy truce has been declared. Although Howe appears to have the upper hand, his Bavarian outburst is thought to have not gone down well in Saudi Arabia. Matters are further complicated by Newcastle's struggles to meet Premier League profitability and sustainability rules after spending about £400m on players since the takeover. Howe dislikes compromise but, with no major signings in the past two transfer windows, he will almost certainly need to sell a key player before refreshing a slightly stale squad.
Safe, sanitised, and super-controlled. Howe is highly articulate but, unlike many managers, never briefs off the record, avoids small talk, and is perhaps a little paranoid about protecting tactical secrets. Press conferences are staged away from Newcastle's training ground, with journalists barred from even glimpsing players in training and discussion of tactical nuance taboo. Apparently allergic to controversy, Howe has consistently refused to address Saudi Arabia's atrocious human rights record.
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