Newcastle lost 2-1 to Arsenal yesterday to make it one point from five games and three successive 2-1 defeats in the Premier League. However, whilst the fans still blame Mike Ashley for the position the club are in at the moment, they were far from pleased with Rafa Benitez during the Arsenal clash.
79' – Matt Ritchie is replaced by Yoshinori Mutō in Newcastle's final change of the afternoon. Danny Welbeck is on for Aaron Ramsey for the visitors. 0-2. #NUFC
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) September 15, 2018
Jonjo Shelvey and Salomon Rondon are two of the biggest stars at St James Park at the moment and when they were both left on the bench and the fans couldn’t blame Mike Ashley some of them turned their attention to Benitez. Then, later in the game with the score at 2-0, the Spanish manager opted to bring off Matt Ritchie for Yoshinori Muto and it’s fair to say that the fans disagreed with this decision.
The fans have been one with Rafa at times this season and throughout his reign and with the ongoing ‘If Rafa Goes We Go’ movement amongst the fans, it has felt like the ex-Real Madrid manager can do no wrong. That’s not the case, though, and a lot of the supporters justifiably believe that he got yesterday’s match wrong. Had Shelvey been in the middle and Rondon up front the score and the result could have been very different and that one’s on Benitez.
You can read The Geordies’ verdict on Rafa here:
Ashley’s fault he makes the subs Rafa can’t do wrong
— Shaun (@shaunhawkins97) September 15, 2018
Benitez lost the plot here…..
— ToonToon (@workev) September 15, 2018
Awful substitution where’s Rondon surely would have made more sense
— Gerard Delaney (@Gerard36Delaney) 15 September 2018
Rafa is a joke sometimes
— Rohan (@gulliver_rohan) September 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/PeteyPie007/status/1040987902086340610
He's a joke most expensive player of the transfer on the bench and rondom doesn't get a game and he's players perez and that other Spanish muppet they must be his love child's there's no other reason y u would play them upfront
— kparry (@Kenp75) September 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/ToonBarmy59/status/1040988261609562112
The fans aren’t best pleased with Benitez but will still be backing him next weekend when they take on Crystal Palace.
