Rafael Benitez starts his career as Newcastle boss by taking on leaders Leicester City on Monday but is he the right man to keep them in the Premier League?
Andy Gray and Richard Keys, who front beIN Sports’ EPL coverage, discuss.
ANDY GRAY: It was inevitable that Steve McClaren was going to lose his job. He hadn’t taken Newcastle forward since he took over in terms of quality of football or results. At best they have been static but generally they have probably gone backwards and at a club like Newcastle that can’t be allowed to continue.
Is there enough time for Benitez to come in, give them a short, sharp shock and keep them in the Premier League? Is he the right man? I cannot say yes, for sure, to either of those questions.
I have only ever known Benitez in charge of a big club, whether it be Liverpool, Chelsea, Napoli, Inter Milan or Real Madrid, all teams with massive resources. He didn’t do much at Inter, did okay at Napoli and wasn’t great at Real, so I am not sure he is the right fit.
Newcastle will think his experience and knowledge of the Premier League makes him the right man and will inspire his squad but that is far from certain. I know owner Mike Ashley is not popular with many but one thing you cannot deny is that he has invested heavily in new players but maybe it’s the way the club is run that is the problem, particularly on transfers.
If you are not going to give the manager final say on who he wants in his team then it is never going to work. If Benitez is there for the long haul he will want his own backroom staff, and full control over the players who come in and go out of the club and Newcastle are going to have to give him what he wants.
Rafa Benitez Welcome to Toon planet. pic.twitter.com/9k4vSip0IA
— Faustino Asprilla (@TinoasprillaH) March 11, 2016
Newcastle are not a big club – apart from the fact they get 52,000 crowds every week. They haven’t won anything for many years; they don’t contest major tournaments, and the last time they threatened to be a big club was when Kevin Keegan was in charge. So if they want to do something about that with a top pedigree manager in charge then things are going to have to change.
Their current players are just not good enough which is why I am not sure Benitez can get any more out of them. They are far too flimsy at the moment and concede too many goals but one thing Benitez will do is get them better organised, particularly at the back.
I have spoken to Graeme Souness and Ruud Gullit who both managed Newcastle and they say it is not an impossible job but a really, really difficult one. I think the fans have an unrealistic expectancy every year and that is part of the problem. Benitez will discover just how hard this job is and I think he will struggle to keep them up.
Aston Villa are down, Norwich can’t get goals and look to be in big trouble, and then you have to pick one from the North East which is either Sunderland or Newcastle to go down with them.
Right now there is no doubt that Sunderland are playing better football. There is a spirit about them that I don’t see at Newcastle and because of that, with nine games to go, I would say the bottom three right now will all go down.
Newcastle could have done without a trip to Leicester this weekend because, even if Benitez gives them that new coach rush and inspires them to raise their game, I think Claudio Ranieri’s team have got too much for them. 2-0.
RICHARD KEYS: Yes, McClaren had to go but I can’t see appointing Benitez is going to change what is going on at that club. Newcastle have gone from being the entertainers to the wholesalers. They are an opportunity for Mike Ashley and co to hawk their name around and sell product.
Yes, he has invested money, but how wisely? This is history repeating itself.
The man with the Midas touch was supposed to be Alan Shearer when he took over and look at what happened to him. At the end of the day they are just a poor team at a badly run club and I don’t see it changing until Mike Ashley sells the club and goes.
Benitez, like at Liverpool, will want to have the final say on everything. He is very dictatorial. It’s all about him. I don’t think he endears himself to the people he works with and I just don’t think he is the answer.
Yes, there is more chance that Newcastle will stay up than not with Benitez in charge but I don’t think he has got the players you would want alongside you in the trenches. I don’t see anyone in that team, except perhaps for Georginio Wijnaldum, that any other manager would want to buy and that has to be the benchmark.
I am not saying Benitez is the wrong guy I just don’t think it matters whether it is him, Steve McClaren, Brendan Rodgers, David Moyes or anybody else. Things aren’t going to change in the long term unless there are big changes within the club.
As for Monday, Benitez will give them a lift and I expect a reaction but they won’t beat Leicester. 1-0.
