Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has insisted his team's impressive recent form against Manchester United will provide no psychological advantage when the two sides meet in a pivotal Premier League fixture on Boxing Day.
Recent History Means Nothing, Says Howe
The Magpies travel to Old Trafford, known as the 'Theatre of Dreams', boasting a dominant record in recent encounters. Newcastle have won five of their last six matches against United across all competitions. In the Premier League specifically, they have claimed victory in four of the last five meetings since a painful 2-0 defeat in the 2023 League Cup final at Wembley.
However, Howe was quick to downplay the significance of this history. "Our record has been good against Manchester United in recent games, but that counts for nothing in this game," the former Bournemouth boss stated. He emphasized his standard analytical approach, focusing on the opponent's current strengths and weaknesses rather than past results.
Focus on the Present at Old Trafford
Howe pointed to Manchester United's recent performances as evidence of their quality, despite their position in the table. "It will be another independent game and as I say, they’ve improved, they’ve been really strong in the games – even the game at Aston Villa, where they didn’t win in their last match, I thought they were really strong and produced a good performance," he explained.
The context of the league table adds intrigue to the clash. While Newcastle finished a remarkable 10 places and 24 points ahead of Manchester United last season, the current campaign tells a different story. Newcastle will arrive at Old Trafford three points behind their hosts, having dropped two points in a 2-2 home draw with Chelsea on Saturday.
Woltemade's Growing Influence
A bright spot for Newcastle in that draw was the performance of record signing Nick Woltemade. The forward scored both of Newcastle's goals in a commanding first-half display, further endearing himself to the St. James' Park faithful.
"You can see that when he scores, he’s got a really good connection," Howe said, praising the bond between player and supporters. "I thought it was his best performance for the team on Saturday. You saw his qualities returning for the team... most importantly when the ball arrived in the box, he was there."
Howe's message is clear: past success against Manchester United is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is delivering a performance on Friday to close the gap in the Premier League standings.
