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Opinion

Concerning Rafa Benitez post-match interview

7 years ago
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Rafa Benitez was the centre of attention after Sunday’s match with Tottenham.

Interviewed after the game, he was clearly annoyed with Jonjo Shelvey but had plenty of praise for the rest of his team.

The players doing a good job first half as they pretty much matched Spurs in terms of decent positions and half chances, then after Shelvey’s embarrassing sending off, those left on the pitch never gave up right until the end.

Whilst the red card and injuries to Lejeune and Dummett are obviously setbacks, it was the end of this particular interview that is real cause for concern.

Quizzed on Sky Sports about Mike Ashley, Rafa Benitez looked very much like he wanted to say a lot of things…

His body language was repressed fury as he was asked whether he would be meeting Mike Ashley after the match (the owner was at St James Park.

Rafa started shaking his head and said ‘I don’t know’.

Asked if he wouldn’t want to see Ashley the United boss replied ‘No no, I don’t know if I will see him’.

Asked if it is Mike Ashley who decides whether or not they meet, Benitez simply replied ‘yes’.

Then pressed on whether he would like to meet Ashley, Rafa Benitez replied  ‘I am concentrating on my job and the players’.

Finally, when asked if he had seen any quotes from the Mike Ashley interview, the manager deflected with ‘I am just concentrating on my players’.

This looks sadly to be getting to final straw time, just how much longer can Rafa Benitez cope with the owner trying to play him for a fool?

Rafa has made clear that promises haven’t been kept and on top of everything else, which owner of a Premier League club would time quotes to go out from such a provocative interview both before and immediately after the team are playing their first match of the season?

It is impossible not to think that Mike Ashley is doing the same to Rafa Benitez as he did to Kevin Keegan, trying to drive out a manager who dares to question when the club is being run as an absolute shambles.

Ashley’s disgusting treatment of any number of respected Newcastle United figures is ever growing, you only have to look at how he dealt with both Alan Shearer and Jonas Gutierrez as prime examples of that.

The joke of an ‘interview’ Ashley has done with Sky Sports is astonishing, the scripted shambles after his PR people set it up with their client and Sky Sports interviewer David Craig. No proper questions and nothing queried, even if what Mike Ashley said was anything but the whole truth.

Rafa Benitez speaking to Sky Sports:

‘Did most of your players give you everything today?’

“I think so, it was a great effort against a great team.

“At 0-0 and with some situations and a couple of good counter-attacks, it was a pity that everything changed with the sending off.”

‘Has your captain cost you the game today?’

“I would say he made a mistake.

“Still, I would like to see if that situation is more dangerous than the tackle from behind on Florian Lejeune (Harry Kane only got a yellow card and the defender was forced off).

“But it is no excuse because we made a mistake.”

‘Do you worry it happens too often with Jonjo Shelvey?’

“Hopefully he will learn from this.”

‘Losing Shelvey and a couple of players to injury, is that the last thing you needed when your squad was not how you wanted it?’

“It is always the last thing that you need, even when your squad is fine. Obviously we have to cope with that.”

‘How are the injuries?’

“We have to wait but at least a couple of weeks for sure (for Dummett and Lejeune).”

What encouraged you today?’

“The effort of the team, the organisation, and the commitment of the team at the end as we were pushing and trying to score.”

‘Mike Ashley is here today, talked to Sky a couple of days ago, will you be speaking to him about what you need – that’s obviously been the big story over the last couple of days?’

(Shakes head) “I don’t know.”

‘You wouldn’t want to speak to him?’

“No no, I don’t know if I will see him.”

‘So he decides that?’

“Yes.”

‘Wouldn’t you like to?’

“I am concentrating on my job and my players.”

‘Have you seen anything about what he (Mike Ashley) said?’

“I am just concentrating on my players.”

Stats from BBC Sport:

Newcastle 0 Tottenham 2

Goals:

Tottenham: Alli 61 Davies 7o (Newcastle – Shelvey sent off 48)

Possession was Tottenham 73% Newcastle 27%

Total shots were  Tottenham 18 Newcastle 6

Shots on target were Tottenham  6 Newcastle 3

Corners were  Tottenham 7 Newcastle 5

Referee: Andre Marriner

Newcastle United:

Elliot, Manquillo, Lejeune (Mbemba 34), Clark, Dummett (Lascelles 7), Ritchie, Hayden, Shelvey, Atsu, Perez, Gayle (Merino 76)

Unused Subs:

Darlow, Aarons, Murphy, Mitrovic

Crowd: 52,077

(To read the match ratings go HERE)

(To read the instant Newcastle United fan/writer reaction to today’s match go HERE)

(All contributions from Newcastle fans welcome, send articles (as well as ideas/suggestions) to contribute@themag.co.uk)

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