Halftime substitution for Eddie Howe at Brentford paid dividends. Credit: AP/Alastair Grant
It was just a hint At first, he smiled when Eddie Howe was asked about his two strikers, Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak. By the time he finished answering, a smile had spread across his face.
«The thought behind bringing Alex and Callum together was actually pretty obvious — I just think we needed more focus in the game,» Howe said after beating Brentford 2-1.
“We needed an opportunity to bounce back because for some reason it didn’t happen in the first half… I have to say, I thought they matched so well. They really came together and gave us a completely different look. See, I told you they could play together…
It was the smile of five consecutive victories that brought Newcastle United back to the center of the Champions League qualification controversy. It was the smile of a manager who saw his team go through adversity, scoring a goal and conceding two penalties in the first half they lost to beat Brentford. It was a smile of great satisfaction, but also of deep relief.
By beating Brentford, Newcastle faced one of the toughest tests of the season. They could have easily lost the game in the first half, such was the dominance of Brentford, but Howe knew that this performance also raised concerns in the future.
Newcastle's style of play is action, high energy and high pressing. Howe's team is ahead of you, ahead of you, and usually beats you in the end. They don't take a step back. They are physical and confrontational. They face opponents, push them back, and eventually crush them as an offensive force.
But maintaining this level of intensity several times a week is not easy. Newcastle were asked to play three games in six days and looked exhausted. Fatigue was felt both mentally and physically. They were only able to impose 20-25 minutes on Brentford in the second half as Wilson and Isak got out of control, expertly assisted by another substitute, Anthony Gordon, and their Brazilian midfield duo Joelinton and Bruno Guimarares. p> 
Alexander Isak continued his rich form with a goal at Brentford. Photo: Getty Images/Richard Callis
It's not a schedule they've had to worry too much about this season, but they'll have to do it regularly if they now seem to be playing in Europe next season. Whether it's the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League, extra games will drain them.
Newcastle last played in Europe in 2013, finishing fifth under Alan Pardew . , they were nearly relegated the following season after losing to Benfica in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Look at West Ham this season, only the last Premier League club to find home form is suffering when the European adventure begins.
While Newcastle must enjoy the present and savor this special team and manager, they must also be realistic about the future. The people running the club should listen to Howe in the summer because they have a lot of work to do to strengthen the team, add depth and compete for spots in every department.
And they must do so in a financial fair play manner because the Premier League will be watching them like a hawk given the recent allegations against Everton and Manchester City.
For now At the moment, the only area of the field that Newcastle can change is in attack. They can even bring two of their main strikers onto the field at the same time to turn the tide of the game, as was the case with Brentford.
But their problems were in defense and midfield. Fabian Shar and Sven Botman both struggled hard, poor decision making betraying their fatigue. Dan Byrne looked like even more than one cornerback. In midfield, Joe Willock was a pale shadow of himself, and even Joelinton and Bruno looked heavy.
Howe relies on the same core group of players, game after game, and he won't be able to do that next season . It will be impossible to play the style of football that made them such formidable opponents unless he adds at least five players to the roster in the summer to rise to key positions.
Newcastle went to Brentford with a win, and they can refresh and recharge before heading back to the rapidly improving Aston Villa next weekend.
But with success comes problems. Next season will have more games, more challenges, more travel. Howe needs a bigger and better team to ensure this isn't their peak; to keep the momentum going.
He needs help from above, but it remains to be seen how much money he can spend over the summer. Repeating what the team did this season will be even more difficult than putting it into practice.
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