‘INTENSITY is our identity’. Newcastle United’s mantra has served them extremely well under Eddie Howe. The key question now, though, is whether the required intensity is possible when the same outfield players are having to prepare for their sixth game in 18 days. And not just any game either, but the small matter of a Champions League decider against AC Milan.

Whereas other teams, who are less reliant on a high-energy, high-pressing style, might be able to drop deep to conserve energy, ceding possession for periods of a game in order to look to play on the break, Newcastle’s success under Howe has generally come as a result of their relentless harrying and ability to retain the ball.

Faced with the kind of injury issues that have caused so much damage to the Magpies in recent weeks, other bosses might have been tempted to switch to a more safety-first formation. Perhaps five at the back, or a 4-4-2 with defenders playing in the wide-midfield positions to provide more protection on the flanks?

Howe’s approach, however, has been to double down. The same players, playing the same way, contained within the same tactical system. Callum Wilson and Sean Longstaff are back to provide two welcome opportunities to shuffle things slightly around tomorrow night, but to all intents and purposes, it will be more of the same from the Magpies.

“It’s difficult to make changes to a team that has performed so well,” said Howe, whose side will qualify for the Champions League knockout stages if they beat Milan and Paris St Germain fail to win in Borussia Dortmund. “We beat Arsenal, we beat Chelsea, we beat Manchester United, and that was only two games ago.

“Has the intensity dropped a bit? I think it probably has in the last two games. But that’s not through the players not wanting to give. I think they’ve wanted to give, it’s just that they probably haven’t been able to. That doesn’t mean you can’t win football matches and pick up results, you just have to be a bit cuter in certain positions.

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“We’ve been quite clear on how we want to play, and I think the players do execute our game plans and are clear on how we want to play. The players do execute our game plans, and they do it with the fit bodies we have.”

This has been a chastening week for Newcastle, with Thursday’s late collapse at Everton being followed by an even more emphatic loss at Tottenham.

As well as the physical challenge of getting ready for another crucial game tomorrow, Newcastle’s players will also have to deal with the mental fallout from the last two matches.

In the past, Howe’s players have generally responded well to a setback. That wasn’t the case against Spurs, but back on home soil, with a place in the last-16 of the Champions League at stake, Howe is confident of a positive response against AC Milan.

“We’re always looking to bounce back,” he said. “Now, we go into a different competition so the focus will be on another big game. I think we’ve got used to that this season. I think the players have got used to that rhythm of just playing games with very minimal rest.

“This is going to be another big test because you’ve got the high of the Champions League, then we very quickly have to refocus on Fulham. But all we can do is take the next challenge on.

“We’ll need the crowd in the next group of games because these have been two tough experiences. You’ve seen how the home crowd can affect things – we’ve seen that countless times at St James’ Park. We need that in our favour this time.”