Eddie Howe's Team K League loss post-match reaction

Following his side's 1-0 loss to Team K League on Wednesday night, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe spoke to the press at the media centre of Suwon's World Cup Stadium.

The two managers, Kim Pan-gon and Eddie Howe, embrace before kick-off.

The press conference didn't quite go as planned at the Coupang Play Series 2025 between Team K League and Newcastle United. Technical issues made the experience uncomfortable for those in attendance, and this led to the conference ending early. The sound problems were even picked up via the live feed on Coupang Play. The full, unedited press conference is available on Patreon if you want to hear what Eddie Howe says directly.

Howe also discussed transfer targets, speculation, and injuries which I have omitted from this article because they aren't relevant to K League. However, if you would like to hear what the manager says about, say, Aaron Ramsdale, then please follow K League United on Patreon to hear his full press conference.

[READ: Victory, but maybe not the elation Team K League expected]

Eddie Howe's opening statement.

A really good test for us I thought. Credit to the opposition, I thought they played very well. Again, very tough conditions for us. I thought we played much better in the second half than we did in the first. We were disappointed to lose, because I felt from our second half performance, we should have got something out of the game. 

Question: How did you rate Park Seung-soo's performance? His nickname here is Korean Jamal Musiala because of the way he dribbled the ball.

Yeah, I thought he did well. It was not an easy situation to come into the game because there's a lot of expectation on him for someone so young. But I thought he handled it really well. And you can see he has this ability when he goes 1 v 1, to chop the defender. He's got a really good body feign. I was really really pleased with him, so he can be happy with his performance today. 

[READ: 5 observations from Team K League's win over Newcastle United]

Question: What impressed you most about the type of opposition Team K League were able to offer you today?

I think the fitness levels they are at. You know, they are mid-season. You could tell they have that sharpness. Possibly the experience of playing in this heat as well. They are two huge factors. I thought our performance got better in the second half. That was a really pleasing thing. First half, we started really well, and then we faded a little bit in terms of our own attacking intent. But I always say during pre-season games that you want the tougher examinations. You want the opposition to be a really good level. I thought the game was really high intensity, quick restarts from both teams. We would have gotten loads out of that physically, which is what pre-season is for. 

[READ: Who is Park Seung-soo, Newcastle United's latest signing?]