Benitez delivers verdict on Newcastle promotion hopes, talks about his decision to stay
By Amir Mir
Rafa Benitez has stated that Newcastle are in a “fantastic position” in regards to earning instant promotion back to the Premier League.
The former Real Madrid manager believes that his current club have done “a lot of good things” after he made the decision to stay at the north east in the summer.
At the time, the Magpies had just suffered relegation into the Championship and were hopeful that the Spaniard would stay on and help them earn promotion after joining them in March.
They beat Premier League title chasers Tottenham 5-1 on the last day of the previous campaign and Benitez has since stayed in charge of the club.
He has guided them to the top of the tree in the second tier, one point clear of second-placed Brighton and six points ahead, with a game in hand, of third-placed Reading.
Benitez spoke about the club’s promotion chances and when the club can start to think about the future.
“I think we are in a fantastic position,” Benitez told the Chronicle. “Imagine at the beginning of the season and someone said, ‘Listen, you will be second — one point behind the leader.’ You would say, ‘Yes.’
“So the team is in a great position. We could be better — but we could also be a lot worse. Now we have to be strong enough mentally to approach the rest of the season.
“My feeling is that after deciding to stay last summer, we have done a lot of good things.
“The main thing is three points every game. If you get promoted, then you can start thinking about the future.”
Benitez’ side have won 20 of their 29 games in the Championship this season, largely thanks to the goals from striker Dwight Gayle.
The 26-year-old moved from Premier League outfit Crystal Palace last summer and made a switch to St James’ Park.
Gayle has since gone on to light up the second tier, scoring 20 goals from his 22 league games, including netting two hat-tricks.
At this moment in time, he is on the sidelines with a hamstring injury as his side have scored seven goals in three games in his absence.
In other Newcastle news, Richards Keys delivers Leeds promotion hopes which will not make Magpies fans happy.
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