MX23RW : Friday, November 29 04:03:47| >> :120:26885:26885:

Rafael Benitez: 'Newcastle United's form not a surprise'

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez says that he is 'not surprised' to see his side towards the top of the Premier League table.

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has insisted that he is not 'surprised' by his side's recent form in the Premier League.

Having been promoted back to the top flight as Championship champions, the Magpies lost their first two games of the season but have since gone on to claim back-to-back victories over West Ham United, Swansea City and Stoke City.

That run has seen them go fourth in the early standings ahead of their trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon.

"It's not a surprise we are doing well when you see them training," he told reporters this afternoon. "It's more or less what I was expecting.

"It's important to see your team competing. You have to use the tools you have - we have a hard-working team with a good spirit.

"At the moment I am only thinking about getting three points at Brighton and that's it. It is important to have confidence but approach the game the same way as the last three games.

"The confidence is high but we can't be over-confident. The mentality is the same as it always is for every game."

After their trip to the south coast, Benitez welcomes his old side Liverpool in the final game before the international break.

ID:307890: cacheID:307890:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2062:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez dreams of Istanbul ahead of his side's Premier League meeting with Manchester City on April 19, 2016
Read Next:
Benitez: 'We must keep the momentum'
>
Read more about Rafael Benitez Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.20am
Dolphins
@
Packers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!