Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has described Manchester City as the benchmark in the English Premier League ahead of this weekend’s big clash.
Man City host Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, February 21 in a game where Man City will close the gap on league leaders Arsenal from five points to two with a win.
Despite having an indifferent campaign in the league ranking 10th, Newcastle have performed well in the UEFA Champions League where they are on the brink of qualifying to the round of 16 stage after hammering Qarabag of Azerbaijan 6-1 in the first leg of their playoff tie.
“They have been the benchmark for a number of years for many teams. Each painful defeat we suffer at the Etihad we try to grow from it, evolve and improve.”
“They have been very, very good and are led by an outstanding manager. They continue to be the benchmark in my opinion.”
“We’ve been in the games, they’ve been competitive, but they have been too good for us on a number of occasions and we need to bridge that gap this weekend” Howe said at a presser.
