da 888casino： Many thought that when Rafa Benitez took the reigns are Newcastle United a month ago, his vast Champions League and Premier League experience would be enough to save the Magpies from the drop.
da betcris： After all, this is a man that has worked with the best – with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale two of his most recent projects. But in a bold managerial move he’s made the switch back to England and to a club in crisis – a most un-Rafa type move.
Whilst there is no doubting Newcastle’s pedigree, history and past, in more recent years the Magpies have been plagued by managerial merry-go-rounds, ownership issues and failed transfers.
And it almost seems like this job could even be too much for the mighty Rafa Benitez, who saw his hapless side slump to Southampton this weekend. Whilst there is no shame in losing to a side flirting with Europe, it was the manner of their defeat that infuriated the travelling supporters.
The Toon army who had travelled in numbers to the south coast could only watch as Shane Long waltzed through the Newcastle defence after a poultry four minutes. Graziano Pelle and Victor Wanyama added further insult to injury with 35 minutes left on the clock before January signing Andros Townsend finally grabbed a consolation out of nowhere.
But prior to Townsend’s strike, the Toon were so poor. They created very little and seemed almost content to let the Saints press them and keep possession, despite the fact they’re the ones in the relegation dogfight. We’ve seen it time and time again – great escapes that re-write Premier League history. Remember West Brom a few years back?
But the difference between these sides and this current Newcastle United outfit is the lack of battle.
That West Brom team were far inferior to Rafa’s current United squad but they showed bags of character, and fought for every goal as they tried to survive. This Newcastle team look devoid of any ideas as to how to escape this perilous situation.
But what seems most apparent from off-the-pitch is the complete lack of friendship. These players don’t look in the slightest that they want to be together, play together or survive together. Whilst Leicester City are dealing with the most high-pressure season in their history, they’re still smiling, joking and laughing as they warm up, but when it comes to game time it’s serious and they switch on.
Newcastle have none of that. When Steve McClaren was in charge there didn’t seem to be any type of direction or long-term project. When Rafa took over it was hoped that the Spaniard would come in, turn the club around and restore it to its former glory but it seems it will be a lot more difficult than that.
He’s still attempting to deal with the transfer failings of his predecessors and he’s finding it difficult. Newcastle have spent millions over the past few years and their squad is muddled, confused and lacking serious identity.
Rafa will do well to turn this around.
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