Benitez’s position is not to worry about league table

RAFA’S ONLY CONCERN IS FOR UNITED TO TRY AND DEFEAT HIS FORMER CLUB

POOR finishing at Brighton cost Newcastle any chance they had of staying in the upper echelons of the Premier League last weekend.

Joselu and Ayoze Perez were the guilty men as the Magpies failed to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal.

But Rafa Benitez may be pondering some changes to address that with Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic knocking on the door for a place in his team.

With Liverpool looking shaky at the back and coming into this fixture on the back of a long trip to Spartak Moscow, there couldn’t be a better time to play them.

Coutinho, Firmino, Salah and Mane are the danger men, but if Newcastle can get back to their organised ways under Benitez, they have a great chance of three points. Chief Sports Writer NEWCASTLE United boss Rafa Benitez will keep looking at the bigger picture in the Premier League.

The Magpies slipped from fourth to 10th last weekend after losing to Brighton and defeat against Liverpool tomorrow could see them drop into lower half of the table.

United go into the game against Liverpool with Benitez admitting his old club are likely to remain in the top four this season, despite some pundits playing down such chances.

To some observers the Premier League is made up of three sections with eight teams fighting for Europe, a clutch of sides happy to achieve mid-table respectability and those who fighting for their lives at the bottom.

When asked what group of teams Newcastle belong in this season, Benitez told the Chronicle: “My idea is to approach one game at a time and not worry about the table.

“Three wins in a row made it possible people were talking about Champions League positions.

“After one defeat all of a sudden people said we are in a relegation battle! I think we have to be normal and stable.

“We cannot get carried away if we win too many games or lose too many.”

Behind the scenes, players will tell you the first aim for the season is to reach 40 points before setting their next goal.

Benitez added: “We just have to be sure we know where we are and know where we want to be.

“We have to keep doing things the same way even when you win, lose or draw.” In many ways the pressure is all on Liverpool this weekend with anything but three points against a newly-promoted team certain to be deemed as poor by the pundits. Benitez was close to winning the title at Anfield during his time with the Reds. However, despite Liverpool still waiting for their first title since 1990, the Spaniard did not want to turn up any heat on his German colleague and friend. When asked if this could be Liverpool’s year, Benitez said: “I don’t want to put pressure on Jurgen but I think they have a very good team. “At the same time, City, Man United, Arsenal and Tottenham are very strong teams. Rafa Benitez

“Do they have potential? Yes they have.

“Can they sustain performances so they can win a lot of games in a row? “Yes they can and I think they will be there or thereabouts.

“How close? It depends on the other teams.”

However, Benitez will hope Newcastle will be one of those teams who can dent Liverpool’s top-four chances this weekend.

Much has been made about the Kop side’s vulnerability at the back but Benitez wants his team to focus on the game overall and not just the defensive gaps.

He added: “The reality is Liverpool are a very good attacking team.

“When you talk about them conceding you also have to look at how many chances they create in every game.

“If they find the right balance they will be even more dangerous.

“I think it is important for everybody to realise we are not talking about a weak team.

“They are a great team with a great manager who has experience.

“They attack and sometimes they are exposed in defence.. They are so offensive.

“When you have this system you have to take some risks sometimes.”