Despite defeat against Tottenham on Thursday, Champions League qualification is still in our hands, and the manager said planning for the Newcastle game has already begun.
We know that two wins from our last two games will be enough – whatever Spurs do – and our trip to St James’ Park on Monday night has taken on huge importance.
Speaking after the game, the boss said that he has already trained his players’ minds on that fixture.
“I have already done that. This game is now history. We have to play on Monday, and we have to start to win the game now.
He also added that his focus switched to the next game during the second half of the derby defeat, when the points looked to be beyond us.
“Absolutely because we have to manage the frustration, and I know how they were feeling about a few things. I didn’t want that frustration to take over us, because then we were going to lose more players.”
As for the latest on Gabriel, who went off injured late on, the boss added: “He felt something, so we will have to wait and assess him, but yeah it’s a real issue because now Rob is out as well and Ben is just coming (back) from injury.”
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