Benitez's objectives at Newcastle
Rafael Benitez has arrived at Newcastle United to pen a three-year deal after an anxious week on Tyneside.
Many fans wondered if Steve McClaren would survive a week in which his future was shrouded in doubt, but supporters got the news they wanted to hear on Friday morning when McClaren’s exit was confirmed before Benitez arrived later that day.
The news that Benitez has been appointed has proved to be a real hit, but he has plenty of work to get through.
Here’s five things the ex-Liverpool, Valencia and Real Madrid boss needs to do.
Get off to a winning start
Newcastle need points and wins very quickly.
It may well be a tough start at Leicester City against the Premier League leaders, but fans will believe they can snatch something at the King Power Stadium. Although, if that fails, Newcastle’s first game at St James’ Park in the Benitez era takes place against Sunderland.
It’s a chance to be an instant hero for the Spaniard. Geordies will be praying he takes it.
Squeeze goals from a team that has struggled
Considering attacking midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is the club’s top scorer with nine goals, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that Newcastle’s front men must start taking their chances in front of goal.
Strikers Ayoze Perez and Aleksandar Mitrovic have 11 goals between them and that’s not enough. Whether Benitez can get something out of Papiss Cisse in attack, with the Senegal forward soon to be back from injury, remains to be seen.
Either way, Newcastle must step it up and shooting practice could be high on the agenda for Benitez in his first few days in charge.
Simple things like getting service into the box for the strikers and even forwards making their runs properly have haunted Newcastle this season.
Hopefully that can all change now.
Cobble together a back four
Fabricio Coloccini has a calf injury and fans will wait to see if he can be back for the Sunderland game.
Paul Dummett is also out for four weeks, meaning Benitez starts life as boss without a recognised left-back.
However, Kevin Mbabu is nearing fitness and could take his place on the left-hand side. But with players galvanised after the news, you’d like to think they will be delighted to play anywhere for the Spaniard.
With Andros Townsend, Cheick Tiote and Siem De Jong back from injury, he could also name a fresh-looking side for their next game.
Give fans something to cheer about — finally!
Even recent wins for Newcastle have been by narrow margins in which the Magpies have scraped by.
St James’ Park has been a depressing place to be at times this term. There have been nervous affairs, but Newcastle fans would like to see some flowing football and a game or two sealed up long before the final whistle.
Leicester is the toughest of starts for Benitez, but the games with Sunderland and Norwich could offer a real opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone, then build from there. These could be exciting times for the Toon Army and Benitez made a good start with them by underlining their importance and calling for them to get involved from the word go.
Improve the dreadful away form
Just two wins this term is bad enough, but Newcastle have lost 16 of their past 20 attempts on the road.
That has to improve, not only in the last few games of this season but also if Newcastle are to shake off the tag of relegation battlers after two seasons of fighting against the drop.
It all starts on the road at Leicester, but there is a much more winnable fixture at Norwich at the start of April. Newcastle fans will now look forward to the next 10 games with a lot more optimism.
