Friendly is ‘perfect’ to give new boys start

RAFA Benitez says Newcastle United’s clash with CSKA Moscow was “perfect” for new boys Antonio Barreca and Miguel Almiron.

The pair made their bows in the 1-1 draw with the Russia side and both showed some good touches despite the game being played in windy conditions and on an awful surface which cut up after 20 minutes of action.

Almiron (pictured below) and Barreca played the first 45 minutes before making way for their second-half replacements.

Benitez said: “It is a positive because the new players Barreca and Almiron know the players around them.

“Obviously when you have games, it is hard but we had this chance just after the transfer window, so it worked out good for everybody.”

Benitez’s side, like last year, left the Pinitar Arena with smiles on their faces.

Last season, their stay in Spain proved to be the spark which resulted in a 10th-place finish in the Premier League.

Benitez joked: “If you could offer me that, I’ll sign for it straight away!

“If we can win some games like we did last year, then that would be perfect.

“We have some massive games against Huddersfield, Burnley and West Ham coming up. We know that if we do well in these games we can win.

“But at the end of the day we have to play to our level, we have to deal with the pressure then approach the games with the confidence we had last year.”

Benitez was also pleased with the way his team went about their business even though they could not beat a CSKA side who are returning after a winter break.

He added: “After five days with double training sessions, it was good to give everyone 45 minutes. You could see the tempo was good.

“I am happy with a lot of things but I think we could have won the game.

“We had a lot of chances.”