Fans will not be surprised by position, admits boss

RAFA Benitez feels Newcastle United fans will not be surprised by the club’s lowly early season position.

After a summer in which the club failed to make any significant investment in the transfer window, the Magpies have now equalled their worst start to a Premier League campaign.

When asked what his message to the supporters was, Benitez said: “The fans, they can see from the beginning the fixtures and say, ‘Hmmm...’. I remember reading your comments, ‘Hopefully we can win against Cardiff because it’s the game...’.

“We drew against Cardiff, we could have won.

“But to lose against the top sides and to lose by this margin is something that everybody could have expected. But still we are not happy with that, for sure.

“It’s something that we have to manage now and be sure that we keep the confidence and we keep working like we did in the first half.”

When asked if he could take any solace out of the fact Newcastle dominated spells in the first half, Benitez said: “I will not talk about just possession because it’s not an issue.

“For us, it’s to be sure that you can be there, you can create chances and if you miss the last pass in the final third or this kind of situation, fine, but at least you are there and we were there.

“That is the main thing for me and the positive for the future, to try to manage the games and approach the games like we did in the first half.

“The second half, like I have said so many times, as soon as you make mistakes against the top sides, if you are a little bit wide, they can kill you on the counter-attack.”