Eddie Howe says he has enjoyed watching Tottenham Hotspur this season under Ange Postecoglou. It is no secret that the style of play had been a major concern for Spurs fans in recent years. Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho were brought in with winning trophies the main priority – a feat neither high-profile manager achieved, with entertainment also taking a back seat.

Daniel Levy went back to the drawing board and appointed Postecoglou in the summer. An impressive start resulted in Tottenham storming to the top of the table but injuries and suspension in recent weeks halted that progress.

Defeat to West Ham United in midweek was Spurs’ fourth loss in five games – leaving the club three points outside of the Champions League places. While Tottenham have stuttered, Newcastle United have won just one Premier League away game since April – making tomorrow’s clash in North London a 50/50 contest.

Speaking ahead of the game, Toon boss Howe hailed Postecoglou for reinventing Spurs’ style this season. The 46-year-old also urged his players to replicate last year’s performance, when Newcastle emerged as 2-1 winners to gatecrash the top four.

“Tottenham have certainly changed a lot of their build-up patterns,” Howe said. “Their formation and the way they play is totally different. I’ve enjoyed watching them play. [They were] free-scoring early season, with a lot of interesting movements. He has done very well in a short period of time to implement his philosophy.

“I think it would need a very similar performance to last year, where we were excellent. We were at our best defensively, we were at our best in attack as well. That was a memorable day and that gave us a really big lift for what was ahead. It came at a key stage of the season, so we certainly know the importance of this match.”