Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United are in the Premier League relegation zone, having failed to win any of their first seven games.
It would be far from accurate to suggest that the Newcastle United fanbase has turned on Rafael Benitez after a win-less start to the Premier League season.
But the Spaniard has certainly found himself in the firing line with a number of supporters taking aim at his tactics in recent weeks. Benitez’s approach has come under the microscope after Newcastle picked up just two points and scored four goals in their first seven games.
Though the former Real Madrid and Liverpool boss has been forced to operate with one arm behind his back thanks to Mike Ashley’s apparent reluctance to invest in new players, Benitez’s tactics have been deemed by some as overly negative and lacking in ambition.
And, speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT (4 October, 12.30pm), Tony Cascarino believes that the criticism of Ashley should not mask Benitez’s own shortcomings.
“They obviously need more bodies in. I do think Rafa is getting away scot free because of Ashley,” Cascarino said.
“Take the performance against Leicester. It was nip and tuck for a while but they’re still losing. They’ve played some really tough opposition so far this season, the likes of Spurs and Chelsea have come up against them but I do think there (needs to be) an element of ‘let’s get a result’.”
Benitez has been linked with a move away from Newcastle on a regular basis over the last year or so. And The Mirror reports that the 58-year-old could be the subject of an audacious approach from Aston Villa, who sacked Steve Bruce on Wednesday.
But Benitez is understood to have a frosty relationship with Villa CEO Christian Purslow dating back to their time together at Liverpool.
So it would be a major surprise if Benitez left Newcastle for Aston Villa.
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