Eddie Howe is the chief obsessive in a city filled with them. One step further is probably fair. Holding onto a 1-0 lead in the Carabao Cup final and 45 minutes away from breaking a 56-year trophy-less hoodoo, Howe did not turn to words alone for his half-time team talk. He had faith in his preparation. He had faith in his slideshow. As the players trooped in, moments after Dan Burn’s header had put them into the lead, Howe was waiting with information. His presentation contained the physical statistics from Newcastle’s past two months of matches – showing a marked dip at the start of the second half. He implored his players not to do the same at Wembley. “We have been guilty of protecting leads in the past,” Burn told The Athletic post-match. “We just wanted to not take a backward step and really push forward.” “Get after them,” Joelinton added. “Don’t change anything.”
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