Eddie Howe admitted that Newcastle United's run of three games without a goal is a big concern.
Speaking in the aftermath of the 2-0 defeat against Man City, when a host of chances were missed in both halves, Howe indicated that the team's confidence and well-being hinged on getting back to goalscoring ways. Howe's team were flowing with goals and confidence before the World Cup notching up a string of four-goal victories at one stage.
Reflecting on the barren run, Howe said: "I’m not going to lie and say it’s not a concern, because of course it is, but I think if you’re still creating them, and we did today, then that’s a positive.
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"We didn’t create an abundance of chances because we were playing against one of the best teams in world football but we had the moments and I back the players over the long term that we will start scoring again.
"But we need to, that’s a fact, because the confidence of the team is dependent on it really. That’s certainly something for us to reflect on."
When asked to summarise the mood in the dressing room after the defeat, Howe said: "I think when you lose a huge game, then naturally there is a disappointment within the group, I’d have been surprised if there wasn’t."
In a week in which Newcastle have been beaten in the Carabao Cup final and been unable to close the gap on the top four, Howe says there is still fight in the camp. He said: "They’re fiercely determined to do well, so yeah, we had work to do during the week. I don’t think you saw a team wallowing in any kind of self-pity or in any negative moment, I thought you saw a team that was fully committed, very brave, very aggressive and very much in that game."
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