Rafael Benitez Maudes. Better known to us as “Rafa”
Born in Madrid, he had a unspectacular playing career that spanned just 12 years. He only ventured out of Madrid once his playing days were coming to an end. Retired in 1986, aged just 26, he amassed over 400 appearances, most of them coming for Real Madrid Castilla and Parla in the lower echelons of the Spanish league system.
But It's his career after he retired from playing where he really started to shine through. Going on to win The UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA World Club Championships. Being the only manager to have won all of these prestigious trophies. He has of course won others. La Liga and the F.A cup being the most obvious ones. He has managed some of the top clubs in the world in order to win these accolades. Real Madrid, Napoli, Liverpool, Valencia, Inter Milan etc...
So why has he chosen to come to Newcastle? What challenge does this club pose to him?
Rafa's first task will be to ensure the Toon Army's Premier league survival. A scenario he will be unfamiliar with. He has however been in the relegation zone. In La Liga, his first job in management, Real Valladolid, he was fired after only picking up 2 wins in his first 23 games. Since then, he of course went on to forge an extremely successful career.
I touched on this in a previous blog, but Newcastle's main weakness is defence. We are leaking goals left, right and centre at the moment. With Tim Krul, our Number 1 goalkeeper out long term, Rob Elliott has had to step up and has put in some impressive performances. He's not without fault of course. Our outfield defenders lack leadership, commitment and desire. This is something Benitez is going to have to get to grips with, and quickly. Benitez prefers to play 'zonal marking' and should he choose this method again with Newcastle, it could turn out to be a master stroke. At the minute our defenders are running around like headless chickens, being pulled out of position and on occasion even running into each other. Zonal defending should at least eliminate the frequency of which these are happening. It has it drawbacks of course, especially during transitions and attacking. Benitez is (I hope) somebody who will look at the defence before anything. Should he somehow keep us up, he needs to bring in at least 2 new centre backs. A Left back is needed desperately too.
Rafa is a Manager. He's not a head coach. I hope that the board realise this and have given him the control he needs. He has to be the one in control, not the one being controlled. Its an easy situation to fix, either get rid of Graham Carr and Lee Charnley. Or have them report to Rafa. Carr is a scout foremost and should report to the manager really. Charnley either needs to act like a chairman and take control, or a director of football and step in line. Either way I don't mind, just get out of the manager's way. He was too involved with Pardew, and then McClaren so hopefully he will step back and let Rafa do his thing.
Newcastle is a club waiting to be successful, now that the board have taken the right step to bring in a top quality manager, they need the results to go their way, and quickly. Rafa will learn the hard way that at the bottom, he will not have everything his own way. How he adapts to that, will more than likely determine if his spell at St James' Park is a brief one or if he is afforded the opportunity to forge his legacy here. His past means nothing now that he is here, he has to prove that he is the right person to lead this club first to safety and then who knows?
I'm not sure why he decided to come her, but I'm glad he has. Top appointment for a club wanting to stay in the top league. A major challenge for sure. There's no cups, no finals. But what we do have is 52,000 fans week in, week out demanding a performance. Succeed and he will be revered, fail.. and it will just be seen as an experiment that didn't work out. This is an arrangement that works for both parties.
Am I getting excited? Not yet. It has been fun listening to fans of other clubs though, especially the ones around us. They are so sure he will fail. The challenge has been set Rafa.. It's time to make your mark at this historic club.
We may just be witnessing the dawn of a new era.. or just another manager in a list of failed appointments