Newcastle United vs Manchester United: Read Eddie Howe's pre-match message | OneFootball

This evening, we welcome Michael Carrick and his Manchester United squad to St. James’ Park. Michael has a long association with the club and his impact since stepping in as Head Coach has been incredible. Our recent matches have been closely fought, and with a squad packed with talented and dangerous players, we know how big a challenge we have on our hands tonight.

Our last home match against Everton wasn’t the outcome we felt we deserved. We started well enough and had opportunities to go ahead, before conceding a goal which we felt was out of context with the game at that point.

We know Everton are well organised and hard to break down, so the players deserve credit for staying calm and finding a way back into the game when Jacob Ramsey scored an equaliser.

This gave us a foundation to build upon, but inside two minutes we suffered another setback when Everton restored their lead and held it heading into the break. Again, the players showed a good response, created plenty of chances in the second half, and showed patience when a goal didn’t come. We were rewarded for this when Jacob Murphy scored late on, but again Everton scored within two minutes and this time we weren’t able to find a way back again.

While there were plenty of positives to take from the match, we know we need to do better from a defensive point of view. Scoring a goal in the Premier League is the hardest thing to do, so having scored twice, we know we need to show the defensive qualities which have been such a hallmark of our success in the past few seasons. We have the right talent in our squad to do so, but only hard work on the training ground will help us improve all aspects of our game.

We know that competing on so many fronts and the lack of preparation time caused by our involvement in the Europe has been a challenge and at times has made consistency in the Premier League harder to achieve. But we will never complain about this or use it as an excuse. Our draw against Barcelona in the next stage of the Champions League highlights the type of opportunity we have all worked so hard to make possible, and one we relish. Our aim now is to find consistency in the league alongside it.

Thank you to you all for your support against Everton. When things didn’t always go our way, your backing was a consistent theme and certainly helped the players find a way back into the game twice. We really appreciated this, and today we will give everything possible to give you the result that your loyalty deserves.

Eddie Howe.