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Eddie Howe is confident there is more to come from Newcastle after they took a point from their Champions League baptism of fire in Milan.<\/p>\n
The Magpies found themselves under the cosh at the San Siro on Tuesday evening as they opened their Group F campaign with a tough trip to AC Milan and ultimately emerged with a creditable 0-0 draw.<\/p>\n
Howe\u2019s team will have to be significantly more progressive than they were in Italy if they are to bank the points they will need to progress, with Paris St Germain and Borussia Dortmund waiting in the wings, but the 45-year-old believes they will be.<\/p>\n
Asked after the game if the overriding emotion in the dressing room on the final whistle had been exhaustion, disappointment or pride, he said: \u201cIt was a mixture of all of those things, definitely pride in the result and the performance, the mentality shown.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot internally in the squad, the result wasn\u2019t overestimated. They are very honest payers and they acknowledge we can perform better. Yes, a bit of fatigue as well, but we\u2019re now looking forward to our next match.<\/p>\n
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\u201cFor us to stand up strong and come back fighting in that second half \u2013 because I thought that was a good second half display from us \u2013 bodes well for the future. All we can try and do is try and win every game.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for goalkeeper Nick Pope and a glaring miss from Milan\u2019s Portugal star Rafael Leao, Newcastle could have been in deep trouble by half-time, although having got there on level terms they produced a fine defensive display after the break to plug the gaps through which the Rossoneri had poured during the opening 45 minutes.<\/p>\n
The mindset was the most important thing. The blocking of the shots, recovery sprints when we are caught out of position was all out of the top drawer<\/p>\n
Indeed, they might even have picked the Serie A club\u2019s pocket in stoppage-time when Sean Longstaff forced a fingertip save from substitute goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.<\/p>\n
Howe said: \u201cThere were a few things we changed at half-time. We were looking to tweak a few things.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mindset was the most important thing. The blocking of the shots, recovery sprints when we are caught out of position was all out of the top drawer, especially when it needed to be in that second half.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had our moments in transitions going the other way and that\u2019s where the quality was missing, and I\u2019m a little bit frustrated with that. As I say, we will look to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Howe will now turn his attention to Sunday\u2019s Premier League trip to Sheffield United, with opposite number Stefano Pioli, whose side lost 5-1 to derby rivals Inter last weekend, also able to take positives from a display which promised much but did not deliver the outcome he craved.<\/p>\n
Pioli, who also lost goalkeeper Mike Maignan and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek to injury, said: \u201cI liked the performance, I liked the attitude. We attacked very well, we defended well, we showed that we were full of energy through the whole 90 minutes.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe were as intense as they were \u2013 actually, we were more intense than they were \u2013 but we couldn\u2019t win, and that\u2019s a pity.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we have to move on. There are very important games in Serie A and then we will have to play against Borussia Dortmund.\u201d<\/p>\n