RAFA PAYS PRICE FOR TOO MANY CHANGES
The crowd of 36,440 was up for the FA Cup. But was Rafa Benitez?
Benitez has enough problems at Newcastle United, and he feels a cup run would be more a hindrance than a help, writes Miles Starforth.
Newcastle’s manager, understandably, is preoccupied with keeping the club in the Premier League – and he’s not getting any help on that front from owner Mike Ashley.
Benitez is also irritated by yet another needless and damaging stand-off with Newcastle’s hierarchy over transfers.
The transfer window is now a week old and the club is seemingly no closer to a breakthrough, even though Benitez submitted his lists of targets last month.
So Benitez, unwilling to risk any jaded or tired players ahead of a demanding run of league fixtures, made eight changes to his starting XI for Saturday’s third-round tie against Blackburn Rovers.
Benitez felt the team was good enough to go through to the next round. But what the crowd saw simply wasn’t good enough.
“We didn’t play at the level I was expecting, but the reaction (to going behind) was good,” said Benitez.
Too many players lacked confidence. Too many players went missing.
Kenedy faded quickly after a bright start, and Jacob Murphy, handed a rare start, struggled to get into the game.
Tony Mowbray, Blackburn’s manager, only made one change to his starting XI, and his team went for it.
They were busier and sharper. They ran and pressed and gave the home side an uncomfortable first 45 minutes.
Newcastle’s only real chance fell to Joselu, who had a shot deflected wide.
At the break, Benitez had Jonjo Shelvey, Christian Atsu and Ayoze Perez warming up. Newcastle, however, were behind by the time Shelvey came on.
Charlie Mulgrew rolled a free-kick to Elliott Bennett on the right, and his delivery was headed past Freddie Woodman by Bradley Dack.
Newcastle started playing with a bit more urgency after going behind, and Shelvey forced a save from Raya with a header from a corner. Lejeune had a follow-up effort blocked.
Benitez also sent on Atsu and Perez.
United looked to be heading out of the cup until Corry Evans tripped Perez in the box. Ritchie stepped up and converted the resulting penalty to book a replay at Ewood Park.
Benitez, more than anything, wants to keep Newcastle up this season, which could well be his last at the club.
But he made one or two changes too many at St James’s Park, and the club must now play a replay.