Cup exit is a blessing in disguise for United
TEAM TO BENEFIT FROM MORE TIME ON TRAINING GROUND
NEWCASTLE United are in an excellent position to go a long way towards achieving their first aim for the season before Christmas.
Ask Rafa Benitez or any player and they will tell you they are looking no further than the next game in the Premier League.
However, their first target for the campaign is to reach 40 points and United are in with a great chance of doing that with the Spaniard and his coaching team in place.
United players have agreed an initial bonus of £4m if they finish 17th in the top flight and secure another year in the Premier League, but they could achieve more than that thanks to their schedule.
The Magpies’ early League Cup exit against Nottingham Forest was a massive disappointment for supporters but their absence from the competition can help their Premier League campaign in a big way.
The bigger teams in the division also have the Champions League and Europa League to think about, and Everton’s bad week, which included heavy losses to Atalanta and Manchester United, summed up how tough life can be for some sides.
Europa League football also wrecked Newcastle’s season in 2012/13 when they dropped from fifth place to 16th in 12 months and only just stayed up.
This season could be very different.
While the majority of Premier League sides are preparing for their midweek cup ties, Newcastle’s squad will have the full week to prepare for their trip to struggling Brighton.
At the same time, the Seagulls are bracing themselves for another away clash with Bournemouth in the League Cup having lost in the south coast derby on Friday night. True, Chris Hughton will make changes for the clash with top-flight survival his main aim but the tie and post-game recovery period will consume the Brighton coaching staff for the best part of the week and realistically they will not be able to think too much about Newcastle until Thursday. That gives United a big advantage and a week on the training field Benitez and his coaching team will welcome. When asked on Saturday night how long he could enjoy the win over Stoke City for Benitez replied: “Maybe today we will relax and then tomorrow we have to get back to work. “In fact, we were already watching the Brighton game on the TV, so I will be working on that.” Benitez relishes time working with the players and while the Magpies will work on shape and tactics they will also take a good long look at Brighton’s weaknesses and hope to expose Hughton’s side with some wellworked set-plays.
Benitez was eager to point out his absence at Swansea last week merely showed how well-drilled his coaching team was.
Each of his staff has a specific role, with Mikel Antia the man who is currently masterminding Newcastle’s success from free-kicks and corners.
Before Benitez came in Newcastle struggled badly to score from setpieces but he has gradually improved the situation with his staff and two goals in successive games from Matt Ritchie deliveries have resulted in skipper Jamaal Lascelles proving to be a menace in the box.
Even during last season’s success story in the Sky Bet Championship, Benitez was not comfortable with up to three games in a seven-day period.
It left him with very little time on
Benitez was eager to point out that his absence at Swansea last week merely showed how welldrilled his coaching team was
the training field to get things ready and it tested his squad to the limit.
Go back to last season’s clash at Brighton, when United scraped a win against the Seagulls, in the final stages and you will find the perfect example of the intensity of life in the Championship.
That kicked off a stint of three tough away games in 10 days at Brighton, Huddersfield, and Reading – and even though Newcastle banked seven points from that sequence the run of matches took its toll on United.
They had barely had anything left in the tank for the home game with Fulham and were outplayed by the Cottagers in a 3-1 defeat. Newcastle should be well prepared for their trip to Brighton and with very few injuries in the squad – only Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara are in the treatment room right now – the Magpies will be the fresher of the two sides. Benitez hopes that will be the case for much of the first half of the season too with the lack of midweek games certainly helping United. The build-up to the Liverpool game will also be similar and, with Newcastle enjoying another free week, the Reds will be recovering from a crunch Champions League away game in Russia against Spartak Moscow.
There are free weeks for Newcastle in almost every game between now and the festive period with only a Tuesday night match at West Bromwich Albion late in November and a midweek home date with Everton making it a slightly heavier schedule.
Slight alterations to the training schedule will also be needed for the Monday night away game with Burnley.
However, the majority of Newcastle’s 14-game run between now and December 23 has plenty of breathing space between games to aid players’ recovery and time to develop tactics and game plans.
With Newcastle already having almost a quarter of their first aim of 40 points in the bank, the rest of the season bodes well for Benitez and his squad.