RAFA Toon boss knows he’s in for a fight
‘The name of the manager doesn’t matter - it’s about the team. We are happy back in the Prem but we must improve squad’
IT is almost 20 years since Rafa Benitez went into a new season bracing himself for a relegation battle.
And, on that occasion, he failed to keep the minnows of Extremadura in La Liga.
Now the Spaniard faces a similar fight to beat the odds at Newcastle.
The Toon boss is one of only three Premier League managers to win the Champions League – but that’s where comparisons with Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho end.
While the two Manchester clubs have invested heavily in a bid to win the title, Newcastle’s net spend is less than £22million.
Benitez knows the score. But he committed himself to the Tyneside cause after winning promotion and he’s not about to wave the white flag.
“The name of the manager doesn’t matter – it’s about the team,” he said. “If you have the right tools, you can compete. When you have a very strong team, it doesn’t matter if the manager isn’t good enough because you can still win.
“The best managers in the Premier League have been there a while and have been able to spend money on top-class players, so they have a better squad than we have.
“Football is special because, in one game, anything can happen. But, over a full season, the strongest team is at the top of the table.
“We have to be happy because we are back in the Premier League, but the only way we can have good aspirations is to improve the squad.
“Last year, we were much better than the other teams in 70 per cent of the games.
“This is a totally different challenge, so we have to make sure we are mentally strong when we are losing. We want to be ambitious, but every game will have a different approach.”
Benitez’s reputation began to blossom when he took Extremadura into La Liga for only the second time in their history in 1998.
On the opening day of the campaign, the tiny club from the town of Almendralejo were pitted against Barcelona in the Nou Camp.
They lost 1-0 – Rivaldo (left) scoring the winner with a shot that Benitez still insists went in off the Brazilian’s shin – but were eventually relegated. He moved on to manage Tenerife, Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid, but the club he left behind went bust in 2006.
And the 57-year-old believes that experience of trying to beat the drop will be vital this season.
He said: “The last time it was like this was with Extremadura – a long time ago. After we won promotion, I was happy in the village so I stayed with the club.
“I said we could only do our best. I had the same idea I have now with Newcastle. So I have been at teams where it was difficult to win.
“The main thing is to be sure you have a strong mentality in the team.
“I have seen a lot of managers win only because their players are so good.
“People outside the game think the one who wins is a great manager, but sometimes it is only because of the team.
“You can also be a good manager but lose because your team is not good enough. The main thing is to approach every game with the feeling you can win.
“You have to be sure you have a game plan and that the players follow it.”