After a Carabao Cup semi-final double header, attention now turns back to the latest round of Premier League action this weekend.
A host of Premier League managers will be previewing the weekend’s action today – stay tuned here with Daily Mail Sport for all of the latest – and click here for the best of yesterday including Arne Slot, Nuno Espirito Santo and Michael Carrick…
Howe: I don’t know how long I’ll be here at Newcastle, I just need to do my best
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has moved to quell speculation he could walk away at the end of the season following a dispiriting run of results.
The Carabao Cup holders’ defence of their first major domestic trophy in 70 years ended on Wednesday night when Manchester City completed a 5-1 aggregate semi-final victory over Howe’s men, and they head into Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brentford sitting in 11th place in the table.
Social media went into overdrive in the wake of a hugely disappointing first-half performance at the Etihad Stadium to suggest the 48-year-old has taken the club as far as he can, with further speculation that he could replace England boss Thomas Tuchel this summer.
This was despite Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson’s claim this week that the two parties remain happy with each other – and Howe was in a defiant mood on Friday.
Howe said: ‘That’s a surprise to me. I give my best to the football club every single day, to all the players and the staff. I try to be the best version of myself to inspire the team to win games.
Eddie Howe was speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brentford
‘That’s my only thought. I don’t tend to look too far ahead, but I try to prepare and plan for the club to move forward in every sense. My individual future isn’t really relevant.
‘Who knows? I don’t know my length of time here, I’ve got no idea. I just try to do my best every day until told differently.’
Howe also admitted Nick Woltemade is still getting to grips with the intensity of the Premier League.
Newcastle’s £69million summer signing from Stuttgart got off to a great start with a goal on debut against Wolves and went on a run of scoring in four straight games shortly afterwards.
But the German is now on a run of 12 games without a goal having last found the net on December 20.
And Howe said: ‘He is young, it’s a new league. He started so well and I think everybody expected that to continue but I think that is very difficult to do, as much as we wanted that to happen for him.
‘He is getting to grips with the challenges of the Premier League; the speed, the intensity and the physicality.
‘And of course teams are getting to know him as well and I think that is the biggest challenge for him, teams understand his game and what he wants to do so he has to find solutions the other way.
‘You have to keep ahead of the other teams so there is work for him to do but I think he has done everything with such a great attitude and great way.
‘That is the biggest thing for me he needs to do to be successful.’
