Jamie Carragher shared he found it difficult to believe that Rafa Benitez was still at Newcastle United.
The former Liverpool player shared that after playing under the Magpies boss at Anfield for six-years, it felt unnatural for him to be at a club like Newcastle United given his record of success.
Carragher pointed out that he thought Newcastle United’s primary ambition was simply to avoid relegation from the Premier League and that didn’t match up with Benitez’s ambitious nature.
“I played six years under Rafa at Anfield and know how ambitious he is. It is difficult to believe he is still at Newcastle after being an established, Champions League manager for so long. It is unnatural for someone with his record of success to be at a club where staying up is the primary ambition,” said Carragher in his column for The Telegraph.
OPINION
Carragher’s remarks, while perhaps a little insulting, will be applauded by Newcastle fans. The fact of the matter is, many Magpies supporters know that the club are lucky to have Benitez in charge when current owner, Mike Ashley, doesn’t seem to want to invest money to see the club move forward. Benitez has survived at the Magpies longer than anyone could have foreseen, as who would have predicted him to stick with the club in the Championship, and he should be commended. However it’s clear to see that the Spanish manager sees the potential Newcastle fans see in their club. With the right tools handed to Benitez it’s easy to see Newcastle competing at the higher end of the league, but that won’t change unless Ashley has a complete change of heart or is able to sell the club to someone who wants to match Benitez’s ambitious. The only downside is that with Benitez’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, you feel Carragher may not have to be baffled much longer.