Nobody can afford to relax – Benitez
MAGPIES MUST KEEP BATTLING UNTIL END
RAFA Benitez has summed up the intense relegation battle in the Premier League by pointing out the fact that 10th-placed AFC Bournemouth still aren’t safe from the drop!
The Magpies could even overtake the Cherries with a win on the south coast, but Benitez has warned everybody connected to the club that three points at the Vitality Stadium will merely be the start of the hard work in Newcastle’s battle for survival.
Bournemouth have pulled clear of the relegation zone in recent weeks thanks to an unbeaten run of seven games after the festive period and although that was brought to an abrupt end at Huddersfield Town in a 4-1 defeat, Benitez is still regarding this weekend’s game as the toughest of clashes. As Bournemouth look to nudge up to 34 points against United, Benitez told the Chronicle: “If we win they won’t be safe because they’ll then need to continue winning like us. “That said, even if we do win 31 points isn’t safe either, it’s just that you are on the right track. “They know that and we know that we have to keep working. “My concern is that if we do get a couple of results (back to back) people will think it’s done. “Until the last game, we have to keep fighting and working as hard as we can. “The key is whether you win or you lose, how you manage the situation well and keep going.”
However, it is consistency that Benitez is striving for this weekend and while many managers may still be intoxicated by a victory against Man United, the former Real Madrid manager’s serious tone during his weekly Press conference made it clear he was ready to get back to work this weekend.
He said: “I think in any league, but especially this year, winning two games in a row makes a massive difference. We have this opportunity now and Bournemouth will be thinking exactly the same.
“We did so well against Manchester United that we have to approach this game with the confidence that we can do it.”
However, while Benitez has a different game plan for the Bournemouth game, he is still keen to use the lingering confidence gained from the win against the Red Devils.
He added: “They didn’t have too many chances, two or three. When you play against Manchester United, you control them, you push them until the end, then it has to be positive. For the confidence of the players that is massive.
“Bournemouth is a good team that play well. They had a bad run and they have had a good run too.
“They had a bad result the other day against Huddersfield, 4-1, and that will be a challenge for them to do well against us.
“At the same time we have confidence and we want to go there and try to collect three points.”
Newcastle flew out of Tyneside without loan signing Islam Slimani
(inset left) last night after the Algeria international suffered a setback in training.
Benitez explained: “It’s because he has been training so hard trying to be fit.
“He had a setback and now we have to wait a couple of weeks to see how he progresses.
“The others have been doing well so the competition between the strikers has improved. To be fair we signed a player in each position in January and the competition has improved a lot.
“That means everybody knows they can’t just sleep, they have to stay on their toes all the time.”