Eddie Howe explains his ‘basic’ approach to changing Newcastle United’s fortunes

Eddie Howe has revealed his approach to helping Newcastle United to improve significantly following his arrival.

The Magpies were in the thick of a relegation battle when Howe arrived at St James’ Park amid the long-awaited change of ownership.

But as we move into the final stages of the season, not only are Newcastle safe, but they are now in the top half and look to have a solid platform upon which to build for next season.

The Magpies are expected to make significant improvements over the summer window, but Financial Fair Play means they can’t simply sign a new team of superstars.

The improvements are going to have to be gradual, and that’s why it is so important for Howe to build a solid base now.

That’s something he addressed ahead of today’s Premier League clash with Liverpool, when he explained how he has gone about changing Newcastle’s fortunes.

“I think it was back to basics,” he told BT Sport.

“As a defender, first thing is that we need to be hard to play against, so we focused on out of possession, clean sheets, the structure of the team, being hard to beat and getting those fundamentals you want.

“Also, becoming a high-pressing team. That’s something, long-term, that we want to be, so all those things mixed together have given the players confident because of how solid we are off the ball.”