A couple of weeks ago, Rafa Benitez labeled some of his Newcastle players as ‘Championship’ players, and basically insinuated that they had no chance of remaining alive in the league without moving on from them.
Not many moves were made in the end, and I initially thought it was a poor move on his part.
It looked like a good way to undermine his men, but in reality I think it’s worked out for him the last two weeks.
After wins over West Ham and Swansea, they could make it three in a row against Stoke City and maybe, just maybe, the Spaniard has figured out man management a little bit over the years.
He might just have realized that this quote would light the fires under some of his players to go out and make an impact in the Premier League.
That looks likely now, or it could all just be a big accident that has worked out. One thing, though, is for sure: he’s getting closer to his players and his players are playing for their gaffer.
