Goalkeeper insists Newcastle will keep underdog mentality as they challenge on four fronts this season
When you’ve stormed the gates of the Premier League‘s top four, how do you hold on to the Champions League place you’ve seized when the traditional elite have regrouped for another go?
That is the challenge facing Newcastle United as they embark on the second full season under new ownership, a campaign that offers enticing potential with new possible pitfalls. Expectations have changed and they are now a known quantity, which changes the landscape somewhat.
For Nick Pope, the quiet authority behind the Premier League’s joint-best defensive record last season, the answer lies in consistency.
Newcastle, he says, will adopt the same underdog mentality they had last season and with a sprinkling of upgrades across the pitch he is confident they can “kick on again” as they battle on four fronts.
“It’s about proving it again now,” he says.
“You don’t want to play in the Champions League for one year and then dip out of it. Once you’ve got a taste of it, you want to stay in there and improve.
“It hasn’t been a case of turning everything upside down this summer, and I think that’s what everyone within the squad would want. I’m really pleased because we’re a really tight-knit group.
Key to that will be Newcastle retaining the same defensive solidity they had last season. The Magpies conceded only 33 goals, a feat matched only by Treble winners Manchester City, and have worked hard as a unit to ensure the same is true in the coming campaign.
“It’s down to a lot of work in training,” Pope – speaking at the premiere of the new Amazon documentary We Are Newcastle – explained.
“We put a lot of work into our shape and how we react to certain situations. I think massive credit has to go to the staff behind it, what they drill into us and the messages they get across, whether that’s through analysis on the screen or on pitch time. I think that’s a big part of our success that probably goes under the radar.
“It’s not as exciting as a five-a-side or whatever but you realise how important they are and how important it is for the unit that you know your job and you know other players’ jobs as well.
“That means you can be very reactive in what you do. If one person presses, then you cover. It’s such a team of cogs moving around. Once one moves, you’ve really got to move with it.”
Pope’s personal preparation was disrupted by an operation on a finger that dislocated “five or six times” last season including during an England training session at the World Cup.
“There’ll be ups and downs for sure, but there’s a lot of excitement like there was last season,” he said.
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