Champions League: Howe looking forward to facing ‘incredible’ Mourinho

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is anxious to spell up against a shot large erstwhile his broadside play Jose Mourinho’s Benfica successful the Champions League connected Tuesday.

The necktie sees Mourinho taking his squad to St James’ Park, wherever Bobby Robson, his mentor successful shot management, remains a revered figure.

Portuguese brag Mourinho has won 26 large trophies successful his exceptional managerial career, a haul that includes 3 Premier League titles, 4 League Cups, an FA Cup and the Europa League during his spells with Chelsea and Manchester United.

Howe is successful nary uncertainty astir the erstwhile Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager’s interaction upon English football.

The 47-year-old Howe, asked during a pre-match property league connected Monday if Mourinho should beryllium classed arsenic an all-time great, replied: “I deliberation you person to. Look what helium did.

“I’m not conscionable saying that due to the fact that we are playing them tomorrow, I genuinely judge it. The interaction helium made initially was incredible, really. He had an aura astir him and his teams. His teams were ever precise hard to beat.”

Howe, who made his sanction successful absorption astatine Bournemouth, added: “I retrieve watching his teams successful my precise aboriginal days arsenic a caput coach, erstwhile I was looking to mould the mode I wanted to play and what I was reasoning astir coaching-wise, helium had a large impact.”

Howe’s archetypal brushwood with the then-Chelsea manager came erstwhile his newly-promoted Cherries won 1-0 astatine Stamford Bridge successful December 2015, though that remains his lone triumph against Mourinho.

“Any Premier League triumph is savoured careless of wherever you are,” helium said. “It’s truthful hard to bash it successful the Premier League and particularly astatine that signifier of my career.

“Chelsea were 1 of the strongest teams successful the league and determination were immoderate large wins for america that, astatine the time, being Bournemouth manager, gave america the content that we could vie successful the Premier League.

“Being a newly-promoted team, you request each changeable of assurance you tin get. I look backmost fondly connected those games.

“But evidently this crippled is precise different. It’s a antithetic benignant of experience. We present — I said this earlier the erstwhile Champions League crippled — we’re hopeless to suffice successful the competition.

“We cognize the value of our location games, truthful aft the disappointment of Barcelona, we’re looking guardant to this one.”

Newcastle responded to their opening decision by Barcelona with a 4-0 triumph astatine Union Saint-Gilloise, portion Benfica person mislaid their opening 2 fixtures to Qarabag and Chelsea.

The station Champions League: Howe looking guardant to facing ‘incredible’ Mourinho appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.