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Premier League | Gameweek 3
Aug 26, 2018 at 4pm UK
 
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Jamie Carragher questions Rafael Benitez's pragmatic approach

Carragher questions Benitez's approach
© Reuters
Jamie Carragher wonders whether Rafael Benitez's pragmatic approach is harming his reputation as a manager.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has questioned Rafael Benitez's pragmatic approach to Newcastle United's meeting with Chelsea.

The Spaniard set out his team in a 4-5-1 formation to restrict the Blues' attacking players, only for his side to lose the match 2-1 on home soil with a possession count of 19%.

Carragher feels that Benitez, who he played under at Liverpool, possibly adopted the wrong mindset, comparing Newcastle's performance unfavourably to Wolverhampton Wanderers' in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City 24 hours beforehand.

"I keep hearing people say you've got to have a go. What does have a go mean? Having a go to me means pressing the ball and being aggressive," he told Sky Sports News. "You may not have the quality when you get the ball and the runners might not make the right runs to cause a team problems, but that was my problem with Newcastle last season and the difference with Wolves [against Man City].

"It's not a massive difference, just the mentality of how to press the ball and doing it a lot higher. If you do that you might have more opportunities to go forward. The thing about Rafa, who I had as a manager for six years and is probably my biggest influence in football, I actually look at where the game is going and how people perceive you as a coach.

"We spoke last week about how Unai Emery wants to play and it's fine, that's how the top teams play and the top coaches want to play. But someone like Rafael Benitez with his actual CV of what he has done, winning two La Liga titles, the European Cup, a European trophy with Chelsea and trophies pretty much everywhere.

"Why wasn't he actually in the running or interviewed for the Arsenal job with his great experience of the Premier League? It may be along the lines of where the game's going and how it's perceived."

Newcastle registered six shots across the 90 minutes, two of which were on target.

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Rafael Benitez in charge of Newcastle United on May 13, 2018
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


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