“The Premier League for me has all been about trying to pick up points wherever you can and we’ve done it in style so far because our performances have been very good”.
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“We’ve never been in the Premier League before so when you come to the champions and beat them, I think it must rank the best individual result in club history”.
“Of course what you really want for the players is to play well and to win and I think that then rubber stamps everything you’re trying to do”.
“We are playing the champions”.
“It was only one game but it gives us a huge boost going into the Christmas period”.
“We are not underestimating the team”.
“I don’t think we’ve defended too badly this season, just individual mistakes and a few setbacks and disappointments have come our way, but the players have come in every day working hard, focused on the next game and tried to improve themselves”.
“Certain people have been given opportunities that maybe would not have expected to get them, but they have grasped them in recent weeks”.
However, a second clean sheet of the season, especially at the champions, proves they can cut it, says Howe. We come here and I don’t think we expect anything out of these games so we have done great. “Now it’s about adding wins to those performances”.
“In terms of their defensive structures, the way they played against Tottenham [a 0-0 draw], I thought defensively they were excellent. We are in a good place at the moment and building momentum”. What we’ve found at this level is that when we are in a good place and at our normal levels we compete.
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Howe will be without Harry Arter (hamstring) this weekend but is optimistic the midfielder will not be out for as long as first feared.
