In one of Rick Riordan’s most fascinating weave of the Greek mythology, it is witnessed that a certain powerful Greek god named Hades arrives in a heroic fashion to save Mount Olympus from it’s impending doom, which probably would have arrived from one of it’s greatest threats. Such is the comparison I would like to draw about a certain Spanish manager of the Premier League. If Pep Guardiola was taking England by storm on one side and managers like Sean Dyche or Roy Hodgson were getting the appreciation as well, this particular Spaniard was pushing his side relentlessly up to the top against all odds. Newcastle’s Rafael Benitez is the one I am talking about and his situation is similar to that of Lord Hades.
Hades was sent down to manage the underworld without getting respect and Benitez’s fall from Real Madrid was very similar but ever since he took over the underworld with Newcastle, he’s drawn appreciation from the world of football and has terrifically redeemed himself. At one stage for Newcastle, it looked like their club was being sold and there was no certainty about their future and with a limited budget, Benitez has kept them afloat and made them avoid a daunting relegation comfortably. How has it come about and how has Benitez redeemed himself? Let’s have a look at it.
The tactical stability
One of the biggest positives for Benitez heading into the season was that a large chunk of his Championship winners stayed with him and there was already a dressing room discipline that was instilled. Quite often, names like Jose Mourinho and Diego Simeone are associated with the concept of pragmatism in football but if anyone thinks Rafael Benitez doesn’t belong here, he’s probably deluded. For this team of Benitez, style and flair wasn’t necessary but winning indeed was.
Playing with a very evident 4-2-3-1 for a major part of the season, Newcastle had a core which they heavily relied upon. They didn’t focus on retaining possession but their football was largely dominated by some accurate passing leading to quick counters. Their formation had variations as well with the team adapting to 4-4-2 or 4-3-2-1 whenever it was necessary.
Their defensive shape usually displayed a 4-5-1 with the team focusing a lot on its defensive requirements until they got the ball and switched dynamics instantly. While the two defensive holding midfielders in Shelvey and Hayden often anchored the side, quick players like Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu supported a lot by Manquillo and Yedlin made full use of the width. The movement of Ayoze Perez was mastered supremely by the manager. Perez, sticking behind the striker had more of a free-role with his movement smartly carving open several attacking options for the team.
If the smart movement towards the right enabled Ritchie to cut in and have a go at goal, his movement towards the left fully supplemented a sort of a link-up play with Atsu. Whenever the team went ahead, he also moved inside the box making it difficult for the centre-backs to switch focus from Joselu to Perez and hence it created another huge option.
Without the ball, Rafa’s men pressed aggressively as well and Perez was key here to press the opposition line and with the ball, he created another dimension for the team and that was the aerial one. Playing off the shoulders of defenders, he provoked his ball playing centre-back Clark or the midfielder Jonjo Shelvey to produce aerially threatening passes that slice a team open even if they slightly misjudged it or lost focus.
One of the key ingredients of the formula early on was Mikel Merino. After luring him in with a smart business done with Dortmund, Merino stood-out in the midfield role for the Magpies. His ball playing ability was not the only thing that stood out. His work-rate did too!
The primary tactics focused on maintaining rigidity, in enhancing a system with cohesion at its heart and in establishing a counter-attacking team that got the goal when the team needed but held it’s own as well.
Man Management
Another superb quality of Benitez is how he managed his players. It was already pointed out that the team had Championship winners but it was also important that a few individuals did stand out to carry the team proudly. A disheartening transfer window meant that the club had to settle for less and do its job with its core of players and it certainly did.
A huge validation for this is the rise of captain Jamaal Lascelles. He’s been an instrumental figure at the back, commanding and pushing his side to do better at every stage and he got some key goals himself through set-pieces and set an example. A leader is significant for a team and Benitez gave that power over to Lascelles on the field and the Englishman did justice to it.
Another key player with whom Rafa has done a terrific job is Jonjo Shelvey. Hailed as a reckless figure who loses his cool quite often, Shelvey portrayed that he can curb that this season and make a name for himself. His distribution was superbly applauded and his defensive work-rate didn’t go without getting a few cheers as well. Majority of the English fans lamented his exclusion from the World Cup squad and that is a testimony to the fact as to how much he’s improved and maintained himself under Rafa. Matt Ritchie, Ayoze Perez, Yedlin, Diame, Dummet and even Kenedy have all shown signs of playing for the manager and have improved and Rafa has inculcated that discipline and has kept the team morale up.
Smart Business
I cannot do justice to this article if I don’t mention their recruitment before the Championship began and they’ve held on to their signings and those signings have played a huge role in the successful campaign of today. After losing Moussa Sissoko, Andros Townsend and Wijnaldum, they roped in experienced players like Ritchie, Gayle and Clark who can very well play in the Premier League as well. The transfer of Merino, the positive loan signing of Kenedy in January and the signing of Dubravka have all helped and in spite of operating on a very tight budget, Rafa got in some players cleverly and improved the players as well as the team immensely.
These three major points are the reason for which Newcastle have survived in the Premier League but just surviving is an understatement because they’ve gone on to finish in the top half of the table. Under Rafael Benitez, the team has not only gotten back well but it has also brought back the prestige and the honour Newcastle held in the north-east of England. Undoubtedly, Benitez has proved that he still is a world-class manager and the Magpies should do everything in their power to make him stay.
