Shelvey told how to change perceptions
THERE is no bolder manager than Rafa Benitez when it comes to picking a football team.
He has regularly gone against the old adage of never changing a winning side. He’s seen his back four keep a clean sheet and still changed both his full-backs next time out.
I’m glad he has that mentality because whatever he does against Liverpool tomorrow will be a big gamble. Rafa will be taking a huge chance on his centre-forward.
First and foremost Joselu just isn’t a natural finisher. He doesn’t score enough and has missed four giltedged chances in his last two games.
That’s too many in the Premier League where opportunities can be few and far between. As much as it pains me, I fear the worst for him.
I once wrote a book entitled Never Afraid To Miss because every finisher must have that trait in their armoury.
Even the best miss chances on occasions, but I knew when I missed I was a shot closer to scoring again.
I don’t think Joselu has that attitude. After his glaring miss at Brighton he seemed to disappear, his confidence rock bottom.
And sadly it was a bad miss. Inside the six-yard box, slap bang in front of goal and he didn’t even hit the target or the keeper.
The golden rule when in that position is to go for the roof of the net. Far too many these days go to side-foot the ball in low.
But when you are so close to goal it’s almost impossible to strike the ball over the bar so put your foot through it. I got plenty of goals that way.
If Rafa decides to leave Joselu out of his starting XI who does he play?
Dwight Gayle hasn’t looked a threat at Premier League level this season. He seems to go through the motions, either worried about his hamstrings or deflated by Rafa’s willingness to sell him near the end of the transfer window. He’s lightweight to play up front on his own too. That brings us to Aleksandar Mitrovic, back after a three-match ban. He would be a physical presence – the only problem is he’s likely to chop his marker in half and go in the ref ’s book. Because of that he is the biggest gamble of all. I’ve even thought of playing Ayoze Perez up top (obvious limitations) or wishing Adam Armstrong wasn’t out on loan. Not a lot of choice for Rafa, is there? This sorry state is because Mike Ashley wouldn’t stump up for a proven goalscorer so Benitez had to take an unwanted Stoke player for £5m.
I’m not a great advocate of buying in the January transfer window. Top players aren’t available because clubs don’t want to lose them halfway through a season with no time to find a replacement.
But beggars cannot be choosers and Rafa must be allowed to recruit a decent finisher in January or run a real risk of losing top-flight status.
Results have gone well so far but we cannot keep bucking the trend.
As for tomorrow, United must put pressure on Liverpool’s back four – keep them occupied and worried. If you don’t, the Red tide will just get stronger until it sweeps you away.
Newcastle didn’t do that to Brighton and so the hosts were always going to be in the game with a chance of snatching a winner which is what they did. RAFA Benitez wants to see Jonjo Shelvey deliver some consistency to his game following his frustrating start to the season.
The Newcastle United midfielder enjoyed a great pre-season, but was sent off in the season opener against Tottenham Hotspur for a stamp on Dele Alli – meaning a three-game ban dented his chances of a good start to the campaign.
Shelvey broke his silence this week and stated that he was unhappy with approaches for interviews during the aftermath of the red card.
The midfielder stated he won’t forget what was written about him during that time.
When asked about the situation, Benitez said: “I have spoken to him and told him that he can’t change the perception from outside.
“He can’t do that in just a couple of games. He has to be consistent in terms of doing things right. So he has to work hard on that.
“He will improve as a player if he does things people expect him to do.”
Benitez has been pleased with Shelvey’s response to being named on the bench since his return from suspension.
The Spaniard said: “He is fine and he has been training well. His reaction after the sending off - to being on the bench - has been positive.
“There’s a commitment in the training sessions and that’s fine. I have to decide who will play in the middle.
“If he plays and he plays well we know we will do well because he can dictate the tempo of the game.
“If he doesn’t play and comes off the bench I think he’ll be ready to impress anyway.”
Liverpool come into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Spartak Moscow which involved a long trip to Russia this week.
When asked if that could be a factor in Sunday’s game, Benitez said: “I would like to say yes but at the same time I know they have a big squad. Maybe they can deal with that and manage.
“From my position hopefully it will be a factor. I have been in the other position (Klopp’s) you know you can rest other players and still put out a strong XI.”