Defeat drops Magpies into bottom three - but there are signs of hope
DISPLAY GIVES BENITEZ LOTS TO BUILD ON
NEWCASTLE United may have lost again at the Emirates Stadium - but there was something about their performance whichsuggested this wretched run will soon come to an end.
Judging by the positive noises from the 2,900 Newcastle fans, it gave you the impression they also believe there could be light at the end of what has been a long, dark tunnel since October.
Ultimately, though, this was the day Newcastle dropped into the relegation zone and became the worst performing away team ever in the Premier League in London after enduring their 71st defeat in the capital.
The Magpies are now also on the brink of their worst winless run since May 2015, when they almost went down, and defeat on Saturday at West Ham will put them equal with John Carver’s side three seasons ago.
Rafa Benitez will not be focusing on those statistics this week and will instead look to build on United’s display against the Gunners. There were positives and, most importantly, indications this team is fighting and is behind the manager. They were always going to be absorbing Arsenal’s offensive players on Saturday afternoon and there was not much of an alternative. Taking the gung-ho approach at the Emirates is dangerous – just ask Huddersfield Town fans about that when their side tried it and were hammered 5-0 a few weeks ago. It meant Newcastle had to soak things up and look to play on the counter-attack, Joselu and Ayoze Perez operating in deep positions as Benitez tried to frustrate Arsenal. As it turned out, only Mesut Ozil’s crisply-struck shot proved to be the difference between the two sides.
The fact United stayed in the game until the closing stages, and could even have snatched an equaliser with better finishing, was credit to a game plan which may have paid off on another day or with two extra-quality players in the ranks.
However, that is exactly what Newcastle’s main issue is at the moment.
Yes, they are in the relegation zone but there are only three points between 12th place and third bottom at the moment. Had Newcastle coughed up even an extra £15m in the summer they could be sitting comfortably in midtable and there would be no panic. They did not heed the warnings and all of a sudden Mike Ashley’s ownership is being scrutinised by the club’s fanbase again. I is a bizarre situation in many ways down the corridors of power at St James’ Park. United pay Benitez top dollar to run the football operation side of their business but when he makes valid and logical suggestions they start crunching numbers and fearing they may overspend. They don’t speculate to accumulate and sitting patiently to spend the next batch of TV money next summer is a major risk because they could already be relegated by the time it hits their account. So in the meantime Benitez’s only option is to try to rally the players he has and try again to get managing-director Lee Charnley to persuade Ashley to
United pay Benitez top dollar, but when he makes valid and logical suggestions they start crunching numbers
spend again in January. Incredibly, Benitez is still waiting for an answer on how much he has to spend in the January window – which opens in a fortnight.
From the outside, eight defeats out of nine may look like form which gets managers the sack, but from the inside Benitez is working his way through a baffling set of procedures behind the scenes and he is the only one who has to come out and explained things week-in, week-out.
Benitez at least rallied those players into producing a display against the Gunners - but crucially must look to do it again and emerge with at least a point at the London Stadium next weekend.
Failure to win against West Ham means Newcastle are likely to spend Christmas Day in the bottom three.
It is easy to criticise Newcastle at the moment,
It is like a kicking a man when he’s already down, but Benitez must look behind the results.
Judging by the endeavour of his players against Arsenal, there is plenty to build on this week.