Benitez is hugely popular on the Tyne and the Mersey, and with good reason.
Alan Shearer believes Rafael Benitez is desperate to transform Newcastle United into a Premier League force once more and repeat the glory days he enjoyed at Liverpool, according to The Sun.
Benitez could become the first manager in Newcastle’s 123 year history to win ten consecutive games in all competitions if they add yet another three point haul to their collection at home to Blackburn Rovers next week, with their return to the Premier League looking like a formality already.
The Magpies are currently nine points clear of Reading in third as the North East giants look to reassert their positon as one of the biggest clubs in the English game after far too long toiling in the lower reaches of the top tier.
And Shearer believes Benitez, who is basking in universal admiration at St James’ Park after suffering a barrage of abuse in charge of Real Madrid last season, is determined to return Newcastle back to their rightful place in the footballing hierarchy and repay the faith shown in him by the club’s famously passionate fanbase.
“He is desperate to be the man to turn this club around,” the Newcastle legend wrote in his column for The Sun. “It must be reminiscent for him of his time in Liverpool.”
“I lived near there in Formby during my time at Blackburn and, like the North East, it is a place where people really love their football, where the club is at the centre of the community, where what happens with the team can dictate a mood across the city.
“Right now that mood is buoyant. Things are looking good again. Newcastle has not had a manager of the level of Rafa for some time.”
Despite a disappointing end to his six year reign at Anfield, Benitez remains a popular figure on Merseyside for delivering a famous Champions League triumph in 2005 and assembling one of the most fearsome and exciting squads in the club’s Premier League era.
The Spaniard has a long way to go before he can even think about chasing European football on Tyneside but, after so long under a cloud, there’s finally a positive atmosphere at St James’ again.
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