John Motson revealed that he thought Rafa Benitez was bracing for a ‘really difficult’ season at Newcastle United based on his recent quotes in the media.
The famous commentator shared that the Magpies boss’s comments were not getting anymore optimistic week-to-week and it proved that the manager believed he was set for a tough season with his side.
“I don’t think Rafa Benitez’s quotes are getting any more optimistic are they?” said Motson on talkSPORT (Friday, September 14th 13:56).
“Already, this week, he’s kinda of gurning himself like it’s going to be a real difficult season.”
The Magpies are set to face Arsenal on Saturday at St James Park and currently sit in the relegation zone ahead of the clash after only gaining one point from their first four league outings.
OPINION
It’s hard to know what quotes in particular have got Motson convinced that Benitez is bracing for a difficult season. It could be Benitez’s decision to publicly admit that a player who nearly left in the summer, Acharf Lazaar, has a slim chance of featuring due to the position of left-back being ‘weak’ (As quoted by the Chronicle), because those remarks didn’t exactly inspire confidence. However perhaps Motson is jumping the gun when assessing the mood of the Magpies’ senior man as his side have had a tough run of fixtures and it might not get any easier when they face the Gunners on Saturday. The famous commentator shouldn’t be surprised that Benitez is playing down expectations ahead of playing a side who could finish in the top-six this season as who knows if the Magpies can cause an upset. Benitez’s side are capable of getting a result against the Gunners on Saturday but they have to play to their strengths. Motson could soon be seeing a happier Benitez when he presents himself to the media as clearly his mood is just reflecting his side’s disappointing results so far.