Benitez starts mind games with Brighton boss Hughton

[DataPoint]

Report in The Northern Echo Dot.

RAFA BENITEZ has fired the first salvo in the psychological war with Chris Hughton after warning his Brighton side is there to be shot at.

The Newcastle manager cranked-up the mind games with his opposite number after the Magpies surrendered Championship pole position to the in-form Seagulls.

Hughton, who guided the Geordies to the title when they last won promotion from the second tier in 2010, enjoys a two-point advantage over his old club at the halfway stage of the season. While hoping their stay off the summit isn't prolonged, Benitez has turned the spotlight on their upwardly mobile rivals, claiming they now have deal with the added obstacle of teams raising their game against the new top dogs.

Second-place Newcastle could return to the head of affairs with victory at home to Nottingham Forest tonight (FRI) should the South Coast side slip up at the Amex Stadium against Cardiff City.

Benitez expects Neil Warnock's strugglers to go the extra mile in a bid to topple the leaders, who are unbeaten in 17 league games since a 2-0 home defeat to Brentford in September. He said: "We've been in the same situation as Brighton are now when every game is like a cup final for the other team.

"You'd see a team play against someone else, and when they faced us it was like they were a different side because they're playing the top of the table. Teams run that extra mile against you because of that and I think Brighton will find that situation now. Maybe there will be more pressure on them - let's see how teams approach it."

Good luck with that one Rafa!

Cool Chris did take us to the top of the table for a long period last season with a weaker squad than now.

Poor Rafa! - Winning this league by anything less than 10 points might be seen as failure - that's pressure.

However - playing mind games with Hughton could blow your mind Rafa!

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Bless old Rafa, he can try, but he just isn't very good at it!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3267537/Rafa-Benitez-killed-facts-rant-Liverpool-says-former-Manchester-United-boss-Sir-Alex-Ferguson.html

 

[knocky1]

Three points for Forest and us tonight will put pressure on Benny's boys.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

It might be just how I see things, but CH seems like the kind of man that would not read papers with football opinions and even if he did stumble across one he would not give a flying toss about what it said.

Chris should be called "The Dodo" due to how little flap he seems capable of on game days.

 

[Lincoln Imp]

Are we sure he's playing mind games though? Naive old me think he's just stating an obvious truth in answer to a question.

 

[Prince Monolulu]

Just a Fat Spanish Waiter.......FACT.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I wonder if it occurred to Benitez that opposition players raised their game against Newcastle because they were Newcastle, not because of their league position?

 

[Jbanged]

Silly fat Spanish waiter

 

[Bozza]

I wonder if it occurred to Benitez that opposition players raised their game against Newcastle because they were Newcastle, not because of their league position?

Exactly what I thought when I read that. Even if we were 20 points clear at the top, other clubs will have the "Cup Final Effect" when they face Newcastle and not lowly Brighton.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Sounds like he's worried to me.

Desperation tactics and so early.... must be worried that his expensively assembled team is ever so slightly inferior........ [emoji6][emoji2]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sir albion]

They certainly will raise their game against Newcastle but Newcastle have spent 10's of millions and may well do the same in January.Must be nice for high profile plonkers like Bruce and Benitez to have so much money to play with and it seems they don't quite get what it's like to have a smaller budget in the footballing world.

 

[Ernest]

Newcastle and Villa are the whipping boys not us, in fact teams could subconsciously deraise their game against us knowing it will keep Newcastle off of the top

 

[upthealbion1970]

Tonight's team talk done

 

[Fungus]

Are we sure he's playing mind games though? Naive old me think he's just stating an obvious truth in answer to a question.

This. The only ones trying to play "mind games" are the media.

 

[spring hall convert]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOaZYhTd2BU

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

Exactly what I thought when I read that. Even if we were 20 points clear at the top, other clubs will have the "Cup Final Effect" when they face Newcastle and not lowly Brighton.

Totally this, plus the fact that they have spunked untold millions to build a massive squad of individuals and their fan base assume they have a divine right to walk away with the title.
Rafa is under much more presuure than CH because its expected.

 

[Bozza]

This. The only ones trying to play "mind games" are the media.

Yes, he's been asked a question and he's given his answer, and that has been spun to create more clickbaity news.

However, I disagree that his response, as quoted, is "an obvious truth". It may be his opinion that teams will now raise their game when they face us and not them, but if that is his opinion then I believe he's wrong.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Journalists......I don't trust them.

 

[Curious Orange]

We have spent time at the top of the table in all bar one of the seasons since our return to the second tier... I think we can handle opposition teams 'raising their game' (aka 'parking the bus').

 

[Lord Bracknell]

If teams "raised their game" when playing against the Albion, surely we'd have seen some recent evidence of this. Losing a game, for example.