Benitez beaten in Premier League return – but Newcastle United show signs of improvement

• Posted on March 15, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Spaniard’s new club remain in the relegation zone after their defeat to Leicester but a change in manager has made an encouraging impact on the team.

It may not have been the result he wanted to kickstart his reign at Newcastle United, but the effect Rafa Benitez seems to have had on this Newcastle team in just a few short days suggests he can be the man to guide them towards Premier League survival.

Even Magpies supporters were shocked to see the former Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss arrive on Tyneside following the sacking of Steve McClaren given the Spaniard’s natural habitat being at the very top of the European game rather than in the doldrums of the Premier League.

But in defeat to Leicester the signs were there that this squad of individuals that significantly underperformed under the tutelage of McClaren could be moulded into a team in the final nine matches of a torrid campaign.

Moussa Sissoko looked back to his best on the left-hand side with some lung-busting runs while it is clear why Manchester United have reportedly shown an interest in Ayoze Perez given his quality in the final third. Jonjo Shelvey’s eye for a pass, meanwhile, remains one of the best in the country.

But it was in defence where the biggest changes seemed to have been made. Benitez kept faith with central pairing Steven Taylor and Jamaal Lascelles despite their atrocious showing in defeat to Bournemouth last time out, and they were able to remain compact and keep Jamie Vardy at arm’s length for much of the night.

Newcastle have been poor in all areas of the pitch this season, but at the back is where they have been routinely exposed by even some of the division’s weakest sides. But if Benitez can replicate the majority of what Taylor and Lascelles could muster up then there certainly looks as if there could be a base to build upon in the coming weeks.

But for all their improvements, the Champions League-winning boss will still have been left hugely frustrated of the fact his side could not take advantage of a sluggish performance from Leicester. A visit to the Premier League leaders always looked daunting on paper, but the north east outfit could well have come away with at least a point had they shown a little more care.

This was not the Leicester who have thrilled the masses on so many occasions this season. Riyad Mahrez and Vardy were blunted for long periods and had it not been for the outstanding tenacity of N’Golo Kante in midfield Newcastle would have had far more opportunities to test the Foxes’ defence.

On numerous occasions the visitors piled forward and put the Leicester backline under pressure, but sloppy passing and poor decision making continued to let them down at crucial moments. Sissoko’s inexplicable tug on team-mate Aleksandar Mitrovic as he looked set to fire home from six yards summed up much of what has gone wrong for them this term.

And though Shinji Okazaki’s spectacular winner came via an inspired acrobatic finish and a poor linesman’s decision not to flag Vardy offside, Newcastle’s inability to clear a routine free-kick into their box on two occasions signals that there is still work to do in a bid to make them less porous.

Up next for Benitez and his side is the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland – a fixture Newcastle have not won in their last eight attempts and have been come away with nothing from the last six clashes between the two rivals. A trip to Norwich follows immediately after the international break while clashes against fellow strugglers Aston Villa, Swansea City and Crystal Palace are still to come before the curtain comes down on this season.

Victories in their next two outings against their direct rivals for survival would go a long way to securing their Premier League status, and with winnable games to come it is far from the realms of possibilities that Benitez will pull this off. Though the 1,334 travelling supporters will have left the King Power Stadium disappointed, there is certainly more hope with Benitez at the helm.

-Goal