Howe likely to ditch cup ambitions with Newcastle running on empty

The Guardian says When the red fuel light on the dashboard starts flashing drivers know they are on borrowed time. It all depends on a car’s make and model but there will be 30, 40, possibly even 50 miles left in the tank. Eddie Howe’s problem is that, unlike a motorist, he cannot steer his increasingly drained squad towards the sanctuary of a nearby filling station.

“We’re missing a big number of players,” says Newcastle’s manager. “You can keep going for a while, but the longer it lasts, the harder it gets. We don’t have options to change players.”

Instead, a Newcastle squad lacking 12 injured, or in Sandro Tonali’s case, suspended, senior professionals must fulfil their fifth fixture in 15 days at Tottenham on Sunday before facing Milan at St James’ Park on Wednesday in the Champions League. For the moment, rotation remains a fantasy.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/dec/09/howe-ditch-cup-ambitions-newcastle-running-on-empty