Eddie Howe is convinced the “rare stability” of Newcastle has put them on course to pinch Spurs’ top four place.
The United boss has branded their clash with rivals Tottenham as the biggest game of the season. Despite being fifth, Spurs are in turmoil with no head coach, director of football Fabio Paratici resigned on Friday after a 30 month ban was upheld, and the future of star striker Harry Kane is in doubt.
Howe has backed his players to have the mental strength to bounce back from the heaviest defeat of the season against Aston Villa last week and finish their top four quest.
Howe refuses to analyse other clubs in public, but said of Newcastle : “I would say we have been stable and very well run from above. There has been a clarity in terms of what we can and can’t do. There has been a vision. The hard bit is to try and carry all of that out day to day. But that stability and trust has enabled us to be successful.
“It’s rare to have that stability at a Premier League club because the pressure you are working under is so high. Hopefully that can remain for as long as possible.”
The first home game of the new Saudi regime was against Spurs 18 months ago and since then the Toon have gone from relegation trouble to Euro contenders and spent £250m on transfers.
Howe added: “Sometimes when you’re working day to day, you lose sight of change over a longer period of time. I feel the club has changed a lot. The training ground, obviously. There have been huge improvements internally. The playing squad has evolved. The feeling has changed. There is an opportunity to achieve something really special.”
The Villa defeat left Howe in a “terrible mood”, but says there has been “positive energy” during training to get back on track. He added: “One of the really important characteristics of our team is that we support each other. If you don't perform you have to be accountable. You have to take constructive criticism in the right way
“We’ve had a cup final which was a huge game for us but in terms of league games, yeah, this will be right up there because, as I said we are running out of games and we don’t have long left to get the points we need.
“I’ve seen a group that has been very strong mentally, that has been tested in all sorts of different ways. We’ve had loads of different experiences, the cup run, Premier League form, big league games and they have responded well.
“I don’t see any signs that the squad is not coping with that [pressure to secure European football]. We have a lot of experience in the squad driving the team at key moments. I think we are equipped. I think we have what we need, we just need to show that on the pitch.”
