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Newcastle coach calls preseason match in Korea 'good test for us'

Published: 31 Jul. 2025, 11:20 Updated: 31 Jul. 2025, 18:47

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe looks on during a Coupang Play Series match against Team K League at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi on July 30. [NEWS1]

After being shut down by a team of Korean league All-Stars in a mostly listless preseason performance in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday night, Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe said his opposition gave his Premier League team "a really good test."

Kim Jin-gyu's 36th-minute goal stood as the winner for Team K League at Suwon World Cup Stadium with 27,422 fans witnessing an upset over the English Football League Cup champions.

Howe gave credit where it was due, saying the Korean league players, currently in the middle of the season, showed strong fitness levels.

"You could tell that they have that sharpness and possibly the experience of playing in this heat as well," Howe said of the hot and humid conditions here. "They're two huge factors. I thought our performance got better in the second half. That was a really pleasing thing. The first half, we started really well, and then we faded a little bit in terms of our own tackling intent."

Howe said he wouldn't have wanted an easy preseason match, with the new Premier League season just a couple of weeks away.

"I always say during preseason games, you want the tougher examinations," he said. "You want the opposition to be of a really good level. The game was really high intensity, quick restarts from both teams. We would have got a load out of that physically, which is what preseasons are for."

This was Newcastle's third straight preseason loss, and they've scored just twice in that stretch. Considering the circumstances, with the Magpies having earlier played in Scotland and Singapore before traveling to Korea, Howe said his team's inconsistent performances have not surprised him.

"I think for us, we knew today would be really difficult," he said. "Of course, we want to win and we want to score goals, but the most important thing is to come through and be ready for us to be there [in the Premier League]. I can't highlight that enough. When you come on these tours, you know we're not necessarily organizing everything. We've gone a difficult route in terms of it's a preseason game program, but hopefully that will benefit us when the season kicks off."

Yonhap