The 2018/19 campaign has not started in the way most supporters thought it would. Rafa Benitez took charge of Newcastle United as manager with a clear vision and genuine ambition but results have been deeply disappointing. Fans believed their beloved team would once again establish themselves as a mid-table Premier League side with the ambition of going further. Instead the Magpies sit 14th in the table, one point above the relegation zone
At first, fans attributed this poor form to a lack of financial backing from owner Mike Ashley. Now frustration has shifted direction and the manager finds himself under increasing scrutiny. Some of the team’s performances have been inexcusable and a lack of spending does not justify a minus six goal difference and only two wins in twelve games. Either all the players leave in January or the coach gets fired, and unfortunately it is always more economically viable to serve the manager his marching papers.
Here are three candidates who could take the reins at St. James’ Park.
#3 Sam Allardyce
There is not a more experienced and seasoned Premier League manager in history than Sam Allardyce. The 64-year-old is currently taking a break from the stress of the game but a return home to the north east would revitalise his career. Over the course of his managerial journey, the Englishman has overseen more than 965 games; that pedigree of experience is exactly what the Magpies need to salvage their crisis of a season.
Big Sam’s first reign at St. James’ Park lasted only 24 games as he became the first man to be sacked during the ownership of Mike Ashley. A second opportunity under different circumstances could tell a very different story. Allardyce knows this club, knows the Premier League and knows how to keep teams afloat when the pressure is at its most intense. For a struggling Newcastle United, the manager they need may well be the one they least expect.
#2 Julen Lopetegui
The recently fired Real Madrid boss is currently licking his wounds somewhere in Spain. Sacked from two jobs in the space of five months, the 40-year-old is looking for any and every opportunity to clear his name, and where better to do so than in the most watched league in the world.
For Lopetegui, the chance to succeed Rafa Benitez at Newcastle would be a redemption story waiting to happen. The Spaniard’s free-flowing style of play would transform Mike Ashley’s most valuable asset into an attractive proposition capable of going toe to toe with the league’s best. With players like Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie and Jamaal Lascelles at St. James’ Park, the Bernabeu outcast would have enough technical quality to implement his philosophy from day one.
#1 Antonio Conte
Mauricio Pochettino may not agree but Antonio Conte revolutionised the Premier League with his 3-4-3 system. The Italian’s three at the back phenomenon took the league by storm and forced every coaching staff across the division to rethink their tactical approach. To this day his legacy lives on, Wolves have adapted his formation into a winning formula that is turning heads across England.
Conte was not released from Stamford Bridge because of his coaching ability. He was shown the door because of his public differences with the board, feeling that players were being signed without his input or approval. Any Newcastle United manager in that position would struggle and Conte is no different in that regard. Place him at a club where he does not have to fight the boardroom and he will succeed without question. Seven domestic trophies and title wins in every country he has managed speaks for itself.
At Newcastle, the 47-year-old would find a group of players who are hard-working, energetic and disciplined. Those are the only three traits an Antonio Conte team needs to thrive. For Rafa Benitez, Newcastle represents unfinished business, but for Conte, it could be the perfect stage for one of football’s great tactical minds to rebuild his reputation in England.
