BURNING DESIRE
| Published date | 15 April 2024 |
| Publication title | Daily Star (England) |
The Toon defender says Eddie Howe's men have not given up on squeezing into the top four or five after hammering Spurs.
PREMIER
Alexander Isak and Co are keen to rattle their rivals despite being 10 points adrift of Ange Postecoglou's men with six games to play.
NEWCASTLE 27% POSSESSION 5 SHOTS ON 8 SHOTS OFF 189 TOTAL 65% PASSING 16 CORNERS 1 OFFSIDE 14 FOULS
NEWCASTLE's run-in includes trips to Crystal Palace, Burnley, Manchester United and Brentford plus home 0 0 CARDS games against Sheffield United and Brighton.
REF: Tim Robinson
Tottenham have a dangerous schedule with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool up next and a home game against Manchester City.
MAN OF THE
ALEXANDER
Burn said: "We have momentum going into the last bit. Spurs were 13 ahead of us but have a tough run-in and we have laid down a marker and they will now always be looking over their shoulder.
"Can we catch them? Yeah, that has got to be the aim, finish high as possible. We don't know what will happen with that extra Champions League place as well.
"That has got to be the belief. Around us no one is playing unbelievably. It is hit and miss.
"If we can be the team to kick on with 18 to play for, and max out, we are not hanging on trying to look after ourselves, just going all out."
Isak scored twice, to take his tally to 21 for the season, along with Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar.
The win was masterminded on the training ground, with a tactical plan to exploit Spurs' high line, and frequently leaving their centre-back pair exposed against Isak and Gordon's pace. Spurs' rivals will look at the game plan and copy it. Postecoglou might be forced to reconsider a tactical tweak.
Burn added: "Spurs play in a very specific way. A high line. They always play a high line. We have very specific roles we had to fill. We caught them a bit by surprise.
"When we were winning the ball high up and getting goals from it, it pushes you on to think this is working, keep going.
"We have the pace to exploit a high line, no matter how quick you are.
LEAGUE
SPURS "It has worked for them but it was something we looked to expose."
73% TARGET 2 TARGET 4 PASSES 575...
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