Benitez Thinks Newcastle’s Hope Of Escaping Relegation Is Too Slim

Rafael Benitez has admitted it would be “a miracle” if he kept Newcastle in the Premier League for another season even if he has money to spend next month.

The Spaniard described last season’s 10th place finish as miraculous and insisted in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s 0-0 home draw with Fulham a repeat would take some doing given the fact that most of the clubs around the Magpies invested far more heavily on recruitment last summer.

The current campaign is proving to be a bit trickier, though, with more transfer frustration leaving Benitez to make the best of what he has. He is concerned that may not be enough, with a side currently perched five points above the drop zone already looking anxiously over their shoulder. Benitez said: “We have to be realistic and understand that we will be in the bottom half during the whole season.

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“For me, it is almost clear and if we can be better than three teams, it will be another miracle. “It was a miracle last year. People were thinking, ‘Oh, you finished 10th…’, but with a couple fewer wins, we could have been in the bottom five, so it was a miracle. Benitez is unsure if he will be backed in the January transfer window and the Spaniard insists Newcastle will struggle to avoid relegation unless he is allowed to strengthen.

He said: “I know what is coming now and I know where we are. You can see the team – the team is trying a lot of things, but still, it’s not enough sometimes to get the points, and it will be like that.”If we are under pressure and we feel this pressure, we will not be better, we can make more mistakes.

At the beginning of December, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley said he was “hopeful” of selling the club “before the January transfer window”. As well as Tottenham and Watford, Newcastle was only one of three Premier League clubs to receive more transfer fees than they spent in the summer window.

“I’m trying to tell everyone, realize where we are, realize what we have to do and if we do well, fine, we can finish 10th or whatever. “But if we think we have to beat these teams which have spent £100m (R 1 663 085 538,97), every one of them, during the summer, if we think we can beat them easily every game, no chance. We are wrong, 100%.”

Benitez comes up against his former side and unbeaten Premier League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday, 26 December (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

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