Eddie Howe, who returned from pneumonia on Thursday, has said how tightly contested the Premier League table is going into the important Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town on April 26.
Newcastle United who sit fifth in the table, with only five games remaining in the season, this clash is crucial for their Champions League aspirations.
“Yeah, I see it being very very tight and possibly going right right to the end of the season in terms of the competition for the top the top five places,” Howe stated on Friday.
Continuing further, he said, “I think we’ve put ourselves in a very strong position for what we’ve done for a consistent period of time now in the Premier League.”
Magpies, who are coming after their disappointing 4-1 loss to Aston Villa last weekend, a win would propel Newcastle back to third place. They will temporarily leapfrog Manchester City and Nottingham Forest who are engaged in FA Cup semifinal action at Wembley.
But losing any points will make things difficult with Chelsea and Aston Villa lurking, with only two points separating them from the Magpies.
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“Our record’s been very very good for a long time. But now we sort of go into a five-game league really where we’re going to have to be consistent again and try and get results in some tough games,” Howe added.
For Ipswich Town, this match is about survival, who face relegation back to the Championship if they fail to secure a result at St. James’ Park. Despite their precarious position, Howe isn’t taking the opposition lightly.
“Starting against Ipswich will not be easy. You look at their recent away form, it’s been strong and we can’t underestimate them in any way,” Howe cautioned.
Eddie Howe reflects on his health
The Newcastle manager returned to the touchline on April 24 after missing three matches. Howe, 47, was admitted to hospital on April 11 after feeling unwell for several days and returned to work on Thursday.
“Without that quick intervention, it possibly could’ve had a different outcome,” Howe revealed. “I’m not 100% in my body but I like to think I’m close to 100% in my mind, which is the most important thing.”
During his absence, assistant Jason Tindall and coach Graeme Jones guided the team to victories against Manchester United and Crystal Palace before the defeat at Aston Villa.
“I made a conscious decision, when I didn’t feel well enough to focus on the football, to give Jason and all the coaches full responsibility,” said Howe.
“For me, you’re either all in or all out – and I couldn’t contribute. So, I said to Jason right at the start, ‘it’s over to you’. And didn’t he do well?”
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