'OK' - Bradford City boss reveals honest reaction to Newcastle United's 'multi-million pound' starting XI
Eddie Howe named a strong Newcastle United starting XI for their Carabao Cup win over Bradford City.
Graham Alexander praised Newcastle United for taking his Bradford City side seriously in their Carabao Cup meeting at St James’ Park.
Premier League Newcastle emerged as 4-1 winners over the League One leaders, with Will Osula and Joelinton both scoring braces.
Eddie Howe named seven changes from Sunday’s goalless draw away to AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League, but included a number of star names, including Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw, Lewis Hall, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga.
Newcastle broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Gordon’s blocked shot fell into the path of Joelinton. Osula then added a quick-fire second after latching onto a through ball from Guimaraes.
Guimaraes was the provider again as he set up Joelinton in the 75th minute before Osula netted his second after boyhood Newcastle fan Andy Cook had pulled one back for Bradford.
Graham Alexander reveals reaction NUFC teamsheet
Following the game, Alexander praised Newcastle for showing Bradford respect both on and off the pitch.
He said: “I know Eddie from many, many moons back, but he's a really intense guy, and he prepares for everything. He's a top professional manager, so it wouldn't surprise me that he'd done his homework on us, and I don't think he'd be able to rest if he didn’t.
“But I'd like to believe that we do carry a threat. I'd like to believe that we are a good team. There are obviously differences in levels between Premier League and League One, but we can still have quality that could hurt teams, and we showed that with little spells tonight.
“You saw the starting team they put out tonight and we were like ‘OK, they're taking it really serious’. But I think that's great credit for our players to go up against these players, and even the players that we brought on as top internationals, multi-million-pound players.
“And even generally the staff around the club, I think they really welcomed us as an opportunity to the stadium . So I think it's been a really positive night for us apart from the result. That's always going to sting, because we're professionals and we want to win games.”
Bradford City boss Graham Alexander reflects on defeat to Newcastle United
Reflecting on his side’s defeat, Alexander said: “We learned more about what a Champions League team looks like! Obviously, it was a really tough test for the players, for us all, to be honest. But the biggest thing is holding our heads high, making sure we are committed to the game, which we did.
“We came up against a top opponent and they punished us with real quality. But the players kept to the game, stayed in it, scored a fantastic goal, gave our support something to cheer us. I think for the players, understanding the levels that are in the game, I think it's important, but we also understand that we're not going to face Newcastle every week, so we're not going to be disappointed.
“I think it was a great game for us and a great reward for what we’ve done in the cup. We’ve beaten two Championship teams away from.”