Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has admitted he was worried about Nick Pope’s second-half mistake against Marseille. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang capitalized on the mistake and equalized early in the second period, scoring his second goal. But Howe insisted this was a collective issue, rather than placing the blame solely on England players.
Pope’s blunder comes just days after making a string of great saves against Manchester City, with the goalkeeper retaining Howe’s full support. Asked about his poor decisions in the second half, Howe said: “Regardless of who was at fault, I think when you concede a goal it’s a cause for concern. I think you have to look at everything with a balanced head.”
“He saved us many times. He made some great saves just two days ago against Manchester City. That’s the life of a goalkeeper, but I’ll definitely be rooting for him.”
Reflecting on the 2-1 defeat that complicated Newcastle’s prospects for a place in the last 16, Howe said: “We got what we deserved. It wasn’t West Ham or Brentford. There are things we can improve on. These are the games we want to play and test ourselves.”
“I don’t think we were able to react to the goal in the second half. We weren’t able to react to the goal, we were behind and the crowd came rushing in. We weren’t at our best then.”
Howe admitted that the defeat could teach valuable lessons, but was aware that Newcastle’s slim advantage would always be at risk if Marseille started the second half strongly. Howe said, “I’m going to look back at the game and learn more. I need to be more intentional about scoring goals in the game.”
“The intention was there. Maybe our pressing wasn’t as intense as before. 1-0 was a poor scoreline and we didn’t defend well enough. The result left a scar on us. We have a great game ahead of us.”
