Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has admitted that he does not fear the sack despite his side’s poor run of form this season.
The Magpies are one of three sides that have failed to secure a victory in the Premier League this term, but the Spaniard believes that his job in the Newcastle hotseat is still safe.
He says that being at the bottom of the table is something that was to be expected, especially with the fixtures that they have had so far – one of them being against current champions Manchester City.
When asked by the Chronicle whether he was afraid of being sacked, he said: “No.”
“Because I don’t fear the sack. Because I don’t think that – that’s it,” he continued.
“Is it a difficult situation? Yes, because you are at the bottom of the table. Something that we were not expecting? No, it could be. You see the fixtures, you see the level of the others teams and you knew we could be there more or less.
“We have to win one game and it will be a lift for everyone. We know it’s like that.”
OPINION
Benitez’ future at Newcastle has been a hot topic recently, but United supporters will be over the moon with the comments made by their manager. Obviously, no one at the club wants him to leave, so the fact that he has admitted himself that he does not fear the sack is rather refreshing to hear. He has implied that the Newcastle board understand why the club are in the position that they are in now – and so they should. It is not their fault that they have faced five of the top-six already, and to be expected to get a number of points from these games would have been rather unfair. If they had faced even three of the top-six so far, they would be in a better position than they are in now. However, now that Benitez has made this admission, it is important not to dwell too much on it. Every match needs to be a must-win from now on – or relegation really will beckon by Christmas.