Liverpool vs Newcastle: Has Rafa Benitez given up already?
Liverpool take on Newcastle United on Boxing Day in the Premier League but has Toon manager Rafa Benitez given up already?
Benitez appeared to lack fight in his pre-match press conference and refused to comment on speculation about his future, said the Daily Mail.
After the Magpies could only draw 1-1 with Fulham over the weekend the former Red said it would take the work of a higher power to keep his side in the league.
The Spaniard was asked if he would stay with the Magpies for the rest of the season, but Benitez refused to directly tackle the question and merely added that he was thinking about winning three points against Liverpool on Wednesday.
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This level of despondency is rare to see in public and the question must now be asked: has the Champions League winning gaffer already given up?
It doesn’t take a football genius to see that Newcastle have a massive task ahead of them if they want to beat Liverpool. They hardly score goals, and there is a reason why they’re fighting a battle at the wrong end of the table.
With Virgil van Dijk in the form of his life and a litany of world class stars scattered around the side, Benitez only has to take a look at the squad and he’ll be green with envy.
The Magpies are five points off relegation, but their manager thinks it’ll take divine intervention in the form of a miracle to keep them up. Presumably, Benitez also thinks that’s what it’ll take to beat the Reds at Anfield.
“My focus now is trying to find the right team to play Liverpool and try to get three points,” is all the former Valencia man would say.
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And that task will be made harder by the fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit for the game – as is Naby Keita.