Former England international and current broadcast pundit Ian Wright has come to Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez’s defence after he was once again criticised by Richard Keys.
The beIN SPORTS presenter took to his personal Twitter account to criticise Benitez for the style of football being played by the Magpies against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
“This is awful. And they said Mourinho’s football was from a forgotten era. Any reason why Newcastle can’t go over the half way line?,” he said.
To which Wright replied on his personal Twitter account: “I’m sure I watched a Newcastle team play in the same manner and beat Manchester City! Not sure what other tactics he can use with the players he has. Love Rafa.”
I’m sure I watched a Newcastle team play in the same manor and beat Manchester City! Not sure what other tactics he can use with the players he has ?. Love Rafa. ??
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) February 2, 2019
OPINION
Wright is absolutely spot on, here. Benitez really has no choice other than to shut up shop and look to play on the counter against the big boys. There’s no way that if the likes of Ayoze Perez and Christian Atsu tried to take the game to teams like Tottenham that the Magpies would succeed. They would be blown away by the other team’s offensive power. It’s about recognising your opponent’s strengths and planning accordingly. It’s bizarre that Keys, footballing genius that he is, can’t recognise that… He really does seem to have a bee in his bonnet about Benitez, for whatever reason. But it is nice to see an influential figure like Wright calling him out for his ridiculous statement. As Wright says, Benitez cannot play any other way with the players he has. Plus, the Spaniard’s tactics worked to magnificent effect against the champions in mid week so they can not be that bad, can they?