Rafa Benitez and Ryan Babel remain on bad terms following their time together at Liverpool, but can the duo combine to save Newcastle?
Ryan Babel left Liverpool in 2011 with a sour taste in his mouth after he believed he had been treated unfairly by now-Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez, but could the two put their differences aside and combine once again?
Speaking in 2016 to Spanish newspaper AS, 30-year-old attacker Babel claimed he had been “badly coached” by Benitez at Anfield – starting just 65 of his 146 league and cup appearances for the Merseyside giants.
Babel has put his Liverpool spell behind him, and the journeyman attacker looks to have finally found his best form with Turkish champions Besiktas.
This season, the versatile attacker has scored nine goals in 21 games including two in five Champions League outings against FC Porto and RedBull Leipzig.
His speed, flamboyance, trickery, aerial prowess and most importantly, goals, are traits missing from Newcastle’s thin side devoid of any confidence or quality, after they slipped into the Premier League relegation zone.
Eight losses in nine games has seen the Toon drop into the bottom three, as it becomes increasingly obvious for all to see that Newcastle lack a goalscorer and any real kind of attacking threat in the final third.
It remains to be seen if Benitez will have money in January, but he must look to convince Babel that he was wrong to treat him unfairly at Anfield and build a fight for survival around the Dutch talisman by luring him to St. James’ Park.
The former Ajax, Hoffenheim and Deportivo ace is just the man Benitez needs and adding his goals and attacking flair into a lacklustre side will give Benitez the fire power he needs to steer clear of the drop.
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