CHUMPIONSHIP
Swansea manager Carlos looks at Toon teamsheet.. and can’t believe they’re still Rafa’s promotion XI
IT’S eight months and two transfer windows since Newcastle were promoted - yet the Toon starting XI against Swans were all veterans of last season’s Championship campaign.
Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal, who twice lowered Newcastle colours last season when at Sheffield Wednesday, couldn’t believe it when he looked at Rafa Benitez’s team-sheet before kick-off. He pointed it out to Benitez, who apparently didn’t seem that surprised.
“It tells everybody where we are,” said the Spaniard, frustrated that he has yet to be given the green light by owner Mike Ashley to raid the transfer market.
“Carvalhal told me before the game, but I have been saying it all season.
“We are in the Premier League and we have a lot of players giving everything but sometimes it is not enough.
“That is the amazing thing – that they are working so hard.” Newcastle have won just three of their 12 Premier League home games and haven’t won a League match at St James’ Park since October 21, when they beat Crystal Palace 1-0.
No wonder their Spanish gaffer’s patience is wearing thin. Asked if he expected still to be fielding his promotion XI halfway through the Premier League season, he ansered brusquely. “No,” he said. Benitez is close to breaking point. And the fear among Toon fans is that he will quit if January comes and goes without reinforcements arriving on Tyneside.
The takeover saga is frustrating both Benitez and fans alike. It’s not clear if the bid fronted by the Amanda Staveley-led consortium is high enough or if owner Ashley is dragging his heels.
Joselu grabbed the leveller for Newcastle after Jordan Ayew had opened the scoring for relegation-threatened Swansea, whose haul of four points from their last three Premier League games has thrown them a lifeline.
Benitez, who said he could understand the frustration of his midfielder Jonjo Shelvey (below) when taken off in the second half, said: “You could see in the first half that we had chances.
“But the positive thing is the attitude of the players.”
TV pundit Jermaine Jenas, a former Newcastle player, has said it will be a “miracle” if they stay up but Benitez clearly does not agree. “I think we can do it if we can keep working in this way,” he said. “Obviously now it is the transfer window so the next question will be ‘so do you need help?’ and the answer is ‘yes, we do need help’.”
Swansea have some spirit under Carvalhal and could have won it in stoppage time.
The Swans boss said: “We are playing better and our confidence is growing. We are organised, we are controlling games and we are scoring goals.
“We can’t expect much more than what we did, that’s four games in two weeks.”