‘And then some’: Eddie Howe is blown away by Newcastle’s form since the last international break

Eddie Howe has been reflecting on the last few games for Newcastle United, specifically since the last international break.

Newcastle went into that break off the back of three straight defeats, the latter of which was to a side Newcastle fans feel we should be beating - Brighton.

As the international stars went off to link up with their respective nations, those who weren't picked stayed behind and were put through their paces at Benton.

Whatever was done in that two week period worked wonders as the Magpies have not tasted defeat in any competition since the return to action.

Yes, there's an argument to be made that the Premier League fixtures got a bit easier post-Brighton with wins picked up against Brentford, Burnley and of course that battering of Sheffield United.

However, our midweek games weren't exactly a walk in the park as we faced AC Milan, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain picking up a draw with the Italian giants, knocking the treble-winners Man City out of the Carabao Cup and humiliating Paris Saint-Germain at St James' Park.

The only minor blip was not seeing out the win yesterday after coming from behind to go 2-1 up at West Ham. The Hammers scoring in the 89th minute took the shine off a superb month for the Magpies.

Eddie Howe spoke to the media after West Ham and looked back on the club's change in fortune (via Football Daily on X).

“It’s been a brilliant spell for us. When you go back to the Brighton game there was a response needed. We needed to come back after the international break and build our confidence back and get results. We’ve done that and then some, really.”

Normally I'd say international breaks were sent by the Footballing Devil to test us, but the break comes at a fantastic time for Newcastle.

The squad was looking just a bit tired against West Ham, and with several key players close to a return to fitness, the break will do us good and help us get back up to full strength, or at least something close.

Joelinton, Sven Botman and Callum Wilson should all be fully fit and available when the Premier League returns, and Joe Willock won't be far off either.