Eddie Howe’s Revolution: Forging Newcastle Into a Champions League Force

Newcastle United’s UEFA Champions League 2025-2026 campaign is getting off to a hot start, and some changes made by Eddie Howe were decisive in turning how the season started for them.

IMAGO / Sportsphoto

Magpies secured another big European win, their third in a row to get them all the way up on the direct playoff spots in the UEFA Champions League, and Eddie Howe deserves more credit than he has gotten so far.

Newcastle defeated Athletic Bilbao yesterday at St. James Park in a fashion with a two-goal difference and a clean sheet, something that is happening more frequently than expected for the English side on their return to the best club competition in the world.

Having a squad built around important players like Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Nick Pope, and Kieran Trippier has helped Newcastle bring the dosage of experience needed for these types of scenarios faced by the team.

The only match Newcastle has lost at UEFA Champions League this season came in their home season opener against Barcelona, where anxiety got the best of them and allowed an experienced Culé side to take advantage and leave England with the three points.

That lesson allowed Howe and Newcastle to learn from their mistakes, and the Magpies' coach made sure to correct every single one of them for the upcoming matchdays in the European competition.

Three Big Adjustments Helped to Fix Newcastle's European Season

IMAGO / Sportimage

A coach does not show his best when he is just winning or losing; it is when he shows how he adapts to challenges along the way.

In Eddie Howe’s case with Newcastle United, three specific adjustments changed the team's course in the UEFA Champions League, switching from a club not used to competing at this level to a dominant force to be feared, even by Europe’s greats.

Strong offence early in the matches

A key factor for Newcastle's winning streak has come in a big part because of their skill to score first and early in the game, setting the tone of the match up to the script and flow Howe wants to go.

Using high pressure with and without the ball in the first minutes of each half, especially in the first, has rewarded Magpies with early goals against Union Saint-Gilloise and Athletic Bilbao. Nine goals scored in the last three matches are no coincidence by any means.

Tactics with core defensive foundations

Another big reason for the Magpies being in this successful situation in the UEFA Champions League so far lies in not conceding goals to their rivals at all.

After letting Marcus Rashford score a brace for Barcelona in the Matchday 1 of the tournament, Howe’s team has not allowed a single goal since

Using his usual 4-man physical defence and having stellar performances from Nick Pope, the Magpies found a way to defend and build their game from their own half with a set of very disciplined tactics schemed by Howe.

No star is bigger than the team's performance

IMAGO / Belga

Finally, although it may sound like a cliché, the reality is that a huge part of Newcastle's current moment in Europe comes from understanding that every player can perform at the highest level, no matter how big a star they are.

Eddie Howe has not repeated a single starting lineup in the whole UEFA Champions League so far, and while some may think that is bad news, for Newcastle, the effect has been the opposite.

In the need of using many different players in big matches, everyone in the roster is fully locked in the mentality of advancing as much as possible in the tournament, putting the team's success above any individual.

Only time will tell how far Newcastle’s Champions League campaign goes this season, but by the halfway point of the league phase, Howe’s management has been nothing but excellent, and the Magpies will intend to keep it that way.

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