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Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)


Greg

Would you have Rafa back?   

463 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you have Rafa back?

    • Yes, as manager, immediately
    • Yes, as manager, but at some point in the future (eg if relegated)
    • Yes, in an advisory or DoF role
    • No, not in any meaningful capacity

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Throw Clark in the mix too who has let nobody down when he has played and you would be happy with any three playing out of that five. Really impressive bunch.

 

Absolutely.

 

The thing is it’s looked even better because of the intelligence and ball playing of Lejeune and ball playing of Schar. IMO you need a both for this to work at its best.

 

Agree and I think them two are the reason for the change in system as both can spray balls out to higher/wider positions and also offer plenty of cover when the full backs are exposed/out of position up the pitch.

 

I noticed yesterday that both of them effectively become inside fullbacks when the two widemen go up the pitch and then return to a compact/solid three in the middle when the FB's recover.

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I can't complain with anything this wonderful man has done.  He is building from the back and we are excellent defensively and have outstanding central defenders.  He has added a hopefully a key player in Almiron (we shall see) from an attacking perspective but building, training and organising an excellent defence is a lot cheaper than building an amazing attacking threat and that's what he has done probably because he had no choice. He has had very little to spend but really Murphy is probably the only real significant failure but who would have known that and he was probably at the bottom of his list but it was sanctioned due to his age.  Lazaar, Gamez etc were all punts.  If we are taken over and he is allowed to build even slowly over a 5 year period it would be amazing and also probably very rewarding for him. 

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Agree and I think them two are the reason for the change in system as both can spray balls out to higher/wider positions and also offer plenty of cover when the full backs are exposed/out of position up the pitch.

 

I noticed yesterday that both of them effectively become inside fullbacks when the two widemen go up the pitch and then return to a compact/solid three in the middle when the FB's recover.

 

The biggest impact this has had on our tactics is that having Lejeune and Schar makes Shelvey completely obsolete. No longer do we have a centre midfielder collecting the ball from the centre-half’s toes (essentially making us three in defence when we try to build attacks) before spraying a 60 yard ball.

 

Instead, we can use more dynamic and balanced midfielders, adding more to our general play (especially defence) than Shelvey

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It’s a game to game thing really, what’s positive is that we have options at centre half and centre midfield. When we’re at full strength, Rafa can send out those players that he thinks will best get a result.

 

That said, I can’t think of many combinations or opponents that has Shelvey in the starting team. On the bench, yes - I can see Longstaff being sent back to the 23s unfortunately, to facilitate Shelvey and A. N. Other on the bench.

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interview with fabio pechia - makes you feel angry and sad, then almost to tears with the last bit.

 

“We often speak to each other. Even before I left for Japan, I asked him for advice,”

 

“If he keeps Newcastle up again this season, he has pulled off a sporting miracle.”

 

“Now, the aim has to be to compete and move to a higher level. Bigger investments are needed.”

 

“I don’t know if he will stay.”

 

“He has a good connection with the club and he is loved by the fans, but he also wants to win things – and he knows how to do it.”

 

“When we arrived at Newcastle, in March, the situation was very difficult and our only goal was to try and save the team,”

 

“If we had got there a few weeks earlier, we could have done the business. This was the biggest disappointment.”

 

“I was only in Newcastle for three months, but from day one it felt like home. The atmosphere at St James’ Park overwhelms you.”

 

“For me, for any Italian, to see a game like that one against Spurs (5-1) defies all logic.”

 

“A relegated team and 50,000 people who cheer on their heroes and above all sing the name of Rafa.”

 

“Extraordinary.”

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