SHELVE YOUR TACTICS!
NEWCASTLE 4 ROTHERHAM UTD 0: BENITEZ’S WARNING OVER PLANS TO NULLIFY SHELVEY
Manager Rafa Benitez has warned teams to go man-toman with Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey at their peril.
Bottom club Rotherham United put Will Vaulks on Shelvey in Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship game at St James’s Park.
The ploy worked for much of the first half.
But former Falkirk star Vaulks – who diligently marked Shelvey for the 45 minutes – could do nothing as the midfielder delivered the free-kick which led to Daryl Murphy’s opening goal late in first-half stoppage time.
The Magpies went on to finish 4-0 winners to regain top spot in the table, with Matt Ritchie striking twice and Ayoze Perez also on target.
Benitez said: “Each one has his own tactics.
“He (Vaulks) will be happy with what he was doing before (the goal), but once we score and if they stay focused on one player, then the others they can score.
“Maybe you have to manage it in a different way, but maybe it is fine for them.”
Shelvey found DeAndre Yedlin with his free-kick, and the defender delivered a first-time ball for ex-Sunderland striker Murphy, who turned and shot past Richard O’Donnell.
“In the end, football is XI vs XI, so that is the important thing,” added Benitez. “You must remember that maybe if you stop playing you, will put the other team under pressure, but still you have other players who can have the players who make the difference, like Ritchie did.”
Rotherham manager Paul Warne said: “Shelvey was like a quarterback.”
Meanwhile, Benitez “expects” to make a transfer breakthrough this week – although he faces a battle to sign Andros Townsend on loan from Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace, with a view to a permanent deal.
The Tynesiders must first persuade Palace to part with the 25-year-old, who only joined them last summer in a £13million deal.
Asked if there was any progress in the market, Benitez said: “Still nothing yet.
“It’s so obvious that we have to balance a little bit the team. I’m expecting something this week, hopefully.
“But that’s just my feeling, I’m expecting. You can see that still we can improve the side a little bit.”j
Newcastle will take a break from the league with this weekend’s FA Cup visit to League One Oxford United.