After a bitterly disappointing loss to Barcelona in the Champions League Liverpool will have no time to feel sorry for themselves as they travel to St. James’ Park for another must-win Premier League clash.
Liverpool head into the penultimate game of the season one point behind City and will need to pick up all three points before Manchester City take on Leicester on Monday.
Former boss Rafa Benítez will be tasked with breaking Liverpool’s dreams as his Newcastle side have already confirmed their place in the league for next season.
With safety secured, Benítez possibly staying beyond this season and their good form to close out the campaign, the mood is high in Newcastle and here to tell me all about it is @thespectoview.
Newcastle will be playing Premier League football for the second straight year since coming up. How much of an achievement is this?
It’s a considerable achievement, considering firstly the budget Benítez has been operating under, but also the calibre of player at his disposal and the fact that we were winless in our first ten league games.
Whenever these two sides go head to head nowadays one of the main talking points of the match is former Liverpool and current Newcastle boss Rafa Benítez. Liverpool fans obviously love him, but how much does he mean to your club and supports?
Benítez reignited and united a disillusioned fanbase that often resorted to infighting and blaming anything and everything in sight just over three years ago.
We see with movements like The Magpie Group, IfRafaGoesWeGo and the like that the fans are 100% behind the manager because he’s so much more than a manager, he’s an excellent person who invests himself in local community activity as well as being the man in the dugout.
It’s an old cliché, but he’s the first one to really ‘get it’ since Sir Bobby. And that’s before we can mention anything about what happens on the pitch.
With his contract up in the summer and, having made public his displeasure with the board over funds for transfers, how much are you worried that this could be Benítez’s last season at Newcastle? And do you think it will be?
As a Newcastle United supporter, the default setting is scepticism. Having today came out and said that talks have progressed towards agreeing on a new contract it does fill the fanbase with hope and optimism, but until he has signed on the dotted line, I won’t be taking anything for granted.
How much of a set back out his departure be?
His departure would be devastating and it isn’t hyperbolic to say that. Where do you turn after a manager like Rafa Benitez, as a bottom-half PL club, with the current squad and budget? The only way would be down and there’s no knowing where the free fall would stop.
How would you rate the season?
8/10 for the season. The expectation, as ever, is the remain a Premier League club. The hope is to always improve, but improving on 10th last season after our summer business and our first ten fixtures were almost an impossible task. We’ve rallied and since the turn of the year have been a well-organised, enjoyable, plucky team to watch.
Miguel Almirón recently broke the clubs record transfer. How much of a blow is his injury to the side?
Almirón’s injury is a blow because he’s added another dimension to this side; speed, enthusiastic and genuine attacking threat whenever he picks the ball up. He’s freed up space for Pérez to operate and it’s paid dividends, evidently, with the goals the latter has picked up. Almirón is, without doubt, one of our best players.
Another potential injury heading into the match is the in-form Ayoze Pérez? Do you think he’ll feature on Saturday?
Pérez has been passed fit after being subbed against Brighton. I imagine he’ll probably start considering the alternative is Kenedy given that Almirón is injured too.
What is the mood amongst the fan base ending into the game?
The mood is buoyant if a bit anxious. We know it could well be Rafa’s final home game, but after today’s news, it’s tinged with a bit of optimism. We’re safe from the drop and the game is a free hit in effect. Nobody expects anything from us, so as long as we don’t get torn apart, the mood will still be good.
What is Newcastle’s biggest strength and weakness?
Newcastle’s biggest strength is the organisation we currently have. With three central defenders, all capable of playing their individual roles, and the very functional Isaac Hayden in front of them, we are hard to break down through the middle.
Like any team we’re prone to errors, but not by too many. Up top, Rondón is great, he’s mature, he’s strong and his effort is top class. He knows his role in this system and carries it out eight games out of ten.
Who has been the sides best player this season and who has been the worst of most disappointing?
Salomón Rondón has been the best player this season. Coming into a losing team, he’s given us a focal point and his link-up with Pérez has been brilliant.
Compared to the previous options of Joselu – downright woeful at times, Gayle – who struggles to affect the game outside of the penalty area, and Mitrović – a player who can be electric one minute and a complete liability the next, Rondón has been brilliant and crucially, reliable.
Kenedy has been the biggest disappointment. He was great at the back end of last season, playing with enthusiasm and that Brazilian flair that’s associated with players of his ilk.
This season, a penalty miss in August against Cardiff seemed to derail his season, and he’s been missing ever since; both when he’s been on the pitch and during his lengthy spells off it.
What must Newcastle do to get a result on Saturday?
We have to remain organised. Remember that Liverpool must win, and torment them by keeping the game level as long as possible. Testing Liverpool’s resolve and keeping it tight will be the only way we secure a result.
What is your biggest worry heading into the match?
I don’t really have any big worries, it’s a game where we have nothing to lose. A minor one is that we concede early and fold, but that isn’t the MO of this team, we dig in and that’s to do with the way Benitez sets us up.
How do you rate this Liverpool side?
It’s the best Liverpool side I’ve seen. In almost every area they’re better than the vast majority of teams position for position, and that’s rare.
Combine that with how Klopp and his staff have shored up the defence but retained that attacking threat is commendable. Of course, there are holes, as there is with any side, but they can be compensated for with quality elsewhere.
Which Liverpool player has impressed you the most this season?
Probably an easy one, Virgil van Dijk. He’s a different class; everything seems like a stroll to him. He’s mobile, functional, great in the air and on the floor. Not much he can’t do especially in a cohesive, organised system that Liverpool play.
How do you see Benítez lining up his side?
I imagine we’ll set up in a 5-4-1/3-4-2-1 hybrid.
Dúbravka; Schär, Lascelles, Dummett; Manquillo, Hayden, Shelvey, Ritchie; Pérez, Atsu; Rondón.
How do you see the match playing out?
I think it’ll be tight in the first 20, not too many chances. The fallout from the Nou Camp will be interesting, seeing how Liverpool react and who plays. We’ll be cautious, but if there are spaces to exploit expect us to do so.
