Eddie Howe believes that Sven Botman was ‘excellent’ during Newcastle United’s League Cup win over Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
The Magpies are into the quarter finals after a 1-0 win thanks to an own goal from Cherries defender Adam Smith.
It was a tough night for Newcastle, who were made to work extremely hard to find the breakthrough against Gary O’Neil’s stubborn defence.
But they found a way whilst remaining solid at the back. Newcastle’s success has been built on their defensive foundation, and Howe put out his trusty back five on Tuesday night.
That included Botman, who played a huge part in Newcastle keeping their ninth clean sheet of the season.
Howe was very impressed with the Dutchman, and praised him for his performance after the game.
“Sven Botman was excellent tonight,” he said.
“I thought that was his best game for us aerially. He was dominant against their strikers.
“His use of the ball this season has been excellent but he’s also come on a lot in other areas. It was a good night for him – and us.”
Imposing performance from Botman
The 22-year-old truly was excellent for Newcastle against Bournemouth – just like he was before the World Cup.
The summer signing has really settled on Tyneside, and looks incredibly comfortable in a black and white shirt. He looks at home.
Howe believes that the defender was the best he ever has been in the air against Bournemouth, and he certainly faced tricky opposition.
The physical Kieffer Moore led the line for the Cherries, who did their best to get the ball up to the target man at any given opportunity.
But Botman was equal to everything, commanding the backline with his size, power and aerial prowess.
At £35million, Botman is one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings ever. However, he continues to look like real value for money with each performance. That is why he was named one of the signings of the season so far.
After a somewhat slow start, Howe clearly trusts the centre-back now, and was delighted with his performance in the League Cup contest.
So were the supporters, who are beginning to dream of a trip to Wembley next year.
