Eddie Howe has now managed as many Premier League games this season as Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones and has turned Newcastle United’s season on its head.
The Newcastle United head coach has picked up 13 points from his 11 matches which is considerably more than the five that were accumulated in the same amount of games before his arrival.
There has been plenty more desire and energy shown by the players under Howe’s stewardship so far after looking lethargic in earlier parts of the season.
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The last two performances, wins against Leeds and Everton, have showcased exactly what the former Bournemouth boss was brought to the club to provide: pressing, hard work, hunger and attacking football.
Surprisingly, the statistical difference, provided by TheOther14 on Twitter, between the two halves of the campaign don’t actually show too much of a difference.
At face value, it would seem the Magpies are completing less passes and pressing on fewer occasions than they were under Bruce and Jones.
However, context is extremely important and the areas in which Newcastle are now passing and pressing are far more valuable and both lead to more chances being created, as is highlighted by improvements in the attacking third.
On average, Howe’s side are having more touches in the opposition’s penalty area, having more shots and more shots on target.
When combining that with a manager who takes an interest in setting up the team defensively, it is easy to see why Newcastle are now picking up more points.
Despite the Magpies moving out of the relegation zone for the first time this season after the 3-1 victory against Everton, there is still plenty of work to be done.
Although, the hopes of securing Premier League survival have improved tenfold on Tyneside in the last few weeks.
Howe is really starting to show that he was the correct managerial appointment with two great performances back-to-back against two fellow relegation rivals.
There is a great chance to make it three in a row this weekend as Aston Villa are the next side to travel north to St James’ Park.
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