I handed Eddie Howe a bottle of water before our Cup Final Preview interview last week and he asked jokes if the bottle of Wodka had it.
Of course it was said with a smile from the Newcastle boss, and our subsequent interview underlined that he was already looking forward to a positive way, but he must have hoped for slightly stronger than water to treat with a manic three days, so that he lost three of his best players of injury and suspension.
Anthony Gordon's FA Cup Straight Red Card meant that he would miss the next three games – including the final of Sunday's Carabao Cup against his boy's club, Liverpool.
It was a hammer report for Newcastle, because Gordon is a match winner and was a nailed starter for Wembley. As if that wasn't bad enough, Howe then got two more strokes with the news that defenders Lewis Hall and Sven Botman needed surgery and with those extensive spells on the sidelines.
This season is one of the stars of the club on the left and Botman is considered their best defender. Three of the best players, all excluded within a harmful 72 hours.
It was all very newcastle; Many of the Geordie believers have felt for a while that their club has been cursed, and this trio of hits wrote in that script. The Gordon Red Card mainly has a striking resemblance to sending Nick Pope the week before the Carabao Cup final two years ago, which means that Howe had to pitch the third-choice goalkeeper Loris Karius in Nets at Wembley for his debut.
Newcastle was hit by the loss of Pope and debutant Karius did not succeed in keeping out Manchester United because they illuminated a 2-0 win and lifted the trophy.
But despite all that, the mood remains high. Even without the trio of absent, Newcastle has real match winners in their side, and there is a feeling that their midfield trio from Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton are just as good as everything that Liverpool Boss Arne Slot could be field.
Newcastle boss Howe also does not let any person roll in self-pity. It's just not what he is doing. His management mantra is “never too high, never too low” and in turbulent waters such as last week, the 47-year-old comes into his own.
Howe knows that he still has a stronger team than two years ago, and his day has shown that they can match someone. In a one-off game like a cup final, everything can happen and last week's bad luck it will be the last to go to the grassen of Wembley in the heads of his players on Sunday. As Guimaraes said on Monday, this is the World Cup Final of Newcastle.
What effect has the victory of Monday evening over West Ham?
It felt one of the most important results of the season for the club. For a number of reasons they needed a victory, but especially to eliminate the mood that the final entered. It was not a stylish version, but it was one of grit and determination – and proved that being together remained despite the negativity of the week before.
On the way to a cup final on the back of three defeats, a difficult situation would have been to lift itself. But that 1-0 win, clean leaf and everything, was exactly what the doctor ordered. And you could see that in the celebrations on the last whistle.
Howe rarely celebrates a victory in this way, but he knew the meaning of the result in terms of momentum and morality. And the connection between players and fans was there for everyone to see, because the players were the traveling fans for a long time.
On top of the fight win in the London Stadium, another important result was the absence of new injuries. During his press conference on Friday, Howe confirmed that he has a clean account, except the aforementioned. That was a real concern for many of the fans, who were afraid of the Cup Final Curse, Slagende.
Personally, I would be somewhat worried that Star striker Alexander Isak did not look at his exciting best in West Ham, but it was another 75 minutes under the leash for the Swede and there was mitigation in the fact that he was back against a deep-tying Hamming Hammers. Liverpool will of course come to Newcastle on the Great Wembley field, and that plays in the hands of the striker … Something that he has admitted himself this morning.
How will Newcastle overcome their selection problems?
Despite the absence of Star Trio Gordon, Botman and Hall, Newcastle have enough in their ranks to send a strong start of 11.
Have surrounded great questions who Howe's No 1 goalkeeper is, but I am almost certain that Pope will continue at the expense of Martin Dubravka. The fans of Newcastle will split this decision, but I think Pope's physical status will get him the nod to Wembley, even though he recently returns from an injury.
Botman did not play much this season anyway, so it will be the usual back two of Fabian Schar and then be burned that will be called Sunday.
The absence of Hall is not that easy. The only natural replacement with left back would be Matt Targett, but he still had to start a Premier League match this season and it would be a big question to stop Mo Salah without momentum. If Botman had been fit, Burn to the left could have shaked, but I think Howe will continue with the right -oriented Tino Livramento on the left, and the experienced Kieran Trippier on the right at the back four.
I feel that the recording of Trippier will give the team more leadership, and although Livramento does not look the most comfortable in the future on the left, he has the pace and physicality to deal with the threat of the Sterrenman of Liverpool. However, Hall will be a big loss in an attacking sense, and he checked Salah well on Anfield two weeks ago.
The other big decision that has to make how will be about who he plays wide on the left instead of Gordon. I can't deal with how to continue here.
Harvey Barnes would be the natural choice and he will not have damaged himself with a decent sufficient performance on Monday at West Ham, but I cannot secretly shake off that the Newcastle boss will play both Joelinton and Joe Willock and the two ask to change on the left. This worked well in previous seasons, but was not seen so much because of a succession of injuries for both players.
They both know each other's games well and play a good appointment. It would also give Newcastle an extra man in midfield when defending and giving Livramento cover, against Salah.
But the other to consider is the injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold. Without his attacking verve on the right, could Howe choose to put the more attacking Barnes against a non-position in the form of Wataru Endo or Jarell Quansah?
Whatever the decision is, Howe still has choices. But last week's loss of Gordon, Hall and Botman – all three left siders – were expensive.
What does the latter mean for the city compared to two years ago?
Well, the drought of the trophy has increased for another two years, so that naturally makes more pressure. But in a number of ways, the expectation is less than the final against Manchester United in 2023. Especially since Newcastle is opposed to the best team this time, while Manchester United was not yet in the best places.
I think the fact that Newcastle is the underdogs suits them this time. The fans travel more in hope than expected, and although another Cup defeat will be difficult to take due to the fact that it further expands the trophy -dried, there is insight into Newcastle that is confronted with the stiffest test of everything if they have the silverware.
But they have not had it easy to go to Wembley this time, which eliminates Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Arsenal on the way. So why not anymore?
The extra subplot is the exit of Liverpool's Champions League by PSG in the midweek, ironically, the team that Newcastle itself brought 4-1 in the same competition last season.
Will the emotion of Tuesday evening in Anfield Liverpool empty, or the opposite? It will be intriguing. If Liverpool appears at their best, they will win, but if they are hit by what happened in Newcastle in midweek, then they have the players who can benefit and write their names in Clubfolklore.
And then everyone in the city will be on the vodkas, not just the manager …
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