Rafa Benitez warns he cannot keep producing 'miracles' at Newcastle United
Benitez has guided Newcastle into the top half of the Premier League table on a 'shoestring' budget compared to the likes of Everton
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has warned that he cannot continue producing ‘miracles’ at the club on a shoestring budget – as he says buying “experienced” players this summer is crucial.
After a summer of frustration in the transfer market, Benitez felt he didn’t necessarily have the tools to allow the club to compete to be in the top half of the table.
At the start of the season a ‘Championship team in the Premier League’ was the term often attributed to Newcastle as they struggled in the relegation dogfight.
But a stunning run of form in 2018 has seen the Magpies climb into the top half of the Premier League table and assure themselves of safety with five games to spare.
It has seen Benitez rightly mentioned in the Manager of the Year discussion but he has warned owner Mike Ashley he will not be able to continue to produce ‘miracles’ season after season.
“I think this season, for these players, the staff, the club, the fans, it has been a fantastic achievement. Brighton, Huddersfield, they have also done a fantastic job, but it’s different because everyone was expecting more of Newcastle United because of the fans, the stadium etcetera,” Benitez said.
“But it was not the case, we were spending less than them. They were expecting us to beat Manchester City and Liverpool, because we have done in the past. No-one expected that of Brighton. It was more difficult for us.
“What I don’t want next year, if we finish in the top 10, is for people to say, ‘Okay, fine, now you must finish in the top six’. To do that you must have a real project with a realistic business plan and with an idea of the target and the tools to achieve that target.”
He continued: “I cannot do miracles every year so then you have to have the tools to be sure that you can do your job. I did it at Napoli, Inter or any team that we were around. (At) Valencia, when we had the tools and we had the support, we could win. That’s it.
“I want to win, It’s true, I am a young manager who wants to win. But at the same time, I spend a lot of time coaching players and improving them so I do not have any problem with young players because they will grow and become much better players. But you need to win.
“So you need players with experience. When we had problems in the Championship, or in the Premier League with this squad, we needed experience. So it is not just ‘Oh, the manager is calm, he has vast experience”’ because you don’t play.
“Players with experience can replicate that on the pitch and give confidence to those around them. And then you will be a better, more competitive team and as well you can try and win trophies. I am not saying you have to win the league, because maybe you will need a lot of times to do that to go there.
“But to compete for the League Cup, the FA Cup (you need) to have a team that you can change, rotate players and have a good eleven. That’s it.”
Newcastle travel to Everton on Monday evening knowing a win will see them leapfrog their opponents and move into eighth place in the Premier League table.
The Toffees have spent over £180 million across the whole season - over £140 million more than Newcastle - but sit just one point above the Magpies heading into the game.
And Benitez recognises it would be some achievement to finish above Everton but he doesn’t want the climax of his time at Newcastle to be mid-table stability.
“Yes it would be, but still if we had finished above 17th this season then it would have been a success,” Benitez added.
“If we finish 12th, or 11th, or 10th, or ninth - then much better. But my objective is not to finish ninth; it is to win, to win titles and cups, or something like that.
“That is what I want to do. I was talking about a team who in the middle of the Spanish league and everyone was saying that they have been having a fantastic season; they finished 10th, 14th, eighth. That doesn’t change too much for me.
“To be in the top four, to win trophies, to win the league, or whatever, that is what I want to do. It’s not just survival or mid-table.
“Obviously, I know the reality, when you finish ninth or eighth or 10th is better than if you finish 15th, but still what I want is to be sure that we can fight for trophies.”
Benitez feels Newcastle are moving in the ‘right direction’ but insists they must do more to continually improve.
“I think that when we came here. We couldn’t save the team but to win the Championship, to change the mood and to change a lot of players, I think was a bigger step forward.
“And to stay in the Premier League is an even bigger step forward towards reaching the potential of this massive club.
“We are going in the right direction, then we have to carry on in the same direction so cannot make the mistakes made in the past. We have to see what happens.
“We have to change things if we want to improve. We did a lot of things right but can we improve? Yes, a lot of things. They know my idea. When I see Lee we talk about what we have to do in a different way, so they know already where we are.”
