According to The Athletic reporter Chris Waugh, Newcastle United will be approaching the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool differently to their last campaign.
The Magpies return to action in the Premier League this weekend against current champions Manchester City, but talk around the club has been solely focused around the Carabao Cup final this week.
Yesterday, the club outlined the ticket allocation process for supporters who want to see their trophy hopes prevail at Wembley Stadium next month, with a pot system that will see season ticket holders enrolled on the cup scheme who attended at least five Carabao Cup matches getting first dibs on the 31,939 seats allocated in the West End of the stadium.
It will only be the second time since the 1998/99 season that Newcastle have qualified for a domestic cup final, with their most recent attempt coming against Manchester United in 2022/23, in which they lost 2-0 on the day.
It will be a huge occasion for the club and a challenging one at that, as their opponents are not only top of the Premier League and Champions League tables but are the reigning champions of the trophy.
Eddie Howe will be keen to learn from any mistakes made leading up to and during the final against Man United two years ago, approaching it with more experience from his perspective as the manager of the club.
The Athletic correspondent for Newcastle United, Chris Waugh, has claimed that the former Bournemouth boss will not only adapt the mindset on the pitch, but will likely try to prevent pressure and a media circus surrounding the club ahead of the game too.
“Howe and Jason Tindall have both said they have “learned” from the experience of two years ago and there are plans to treat the whole occasion very differently,” Waugh wrote.
“Newcastle’s preparations leading into the week, both in terms of how the first-team squad approach it and how the club manage the hype, are set to be tinkered with.
“Expect there to be far less in terms of pre-final output. I do not envisage many one-on-one interviews, if any, with written journalists, and even the “media day” Newcastle put on two years ago, when three players and Howe did a carousel of interviews, is set to be pared back.”
“Howe does not want any distractions and he believes positive lessons can be taken from two years ago to ensure Newcastle do actually win the Carabao Cup this time.”
Newcastle’s road to Wembley
A Carabao Cup final is a huge boost to the city and the supporters, but there is also a lot of football left to be played between now and the big event in London on March 16th.
After a hard-fought victory in the FA Cup over Birmingham City, Newcastle have drawn Brighton and Hove Albion at St James’ Park in the next round of the competition and will play that fixture on March 1st.
There is a real opportunity to be had in the FA Cup with serial winners of the trophy Liverpool and Arsenal knocked out already, however, both Manchester clubs remain in the competition and will be a real threat to Newcastle’s chances as the competition progresses.
In the Premier League, the Tynesiders match their opponents for everything including points, results and goal difference, so it will be an interesting fixture for Newcastle when they head to the Etihad, especially with the Sky Blues welcoming Real Madrid this evening in their Champions League knockout clash.
Again, another huge opportunity for Newcastle to take advantage of what is in front of them as taking all three points from Man City on Saturday afternoon puts them in a great position to ramp up their campaign for a spot in the Champions League next season.
With that being said, it will be an interesting few weeks for Newcastle across all competitions so it is no wonder that Howe wants to keep the media frenzy around their cup final at a minimum as much as he can.
