3 Things Rafa Benitez And Newcastle Should Do In January To Stay In The Title Race

Newcastle have suddenly found themselves becoming the 2nd best team in the Championship by the minute, with Brighton and Hove Albion fast turning to league favourites with their seemingly flawless performances.

Benitez definitely won’t be satisfied with his side’s current results and position on the log, and anything apart from winning the Championship in the course of securing instant promotion back to the top-flight will be seen as an underachievement.

Despite getting off to an amazing start in the division and leading for the majority of the first half of the campaign, Newcastle now finds themselves close to the playoff spots. And getting back on track must be occupying Benitez’s thoughts for the majority of the time right now.

Here are 3 things the Spaniard needs to do in January to ensure the Magpies stay in the title race that’s gradually getting out of their reach.

Sign a defensive midfielder

Benitez has around 3 more weeks left before the January transfer window ends, and if there is a section of his squad that needs additional leg(s), it’s the defensive midfield.

The team has been heavily reliant on former Swansea star Jonjo Shelvey, and he has been their most important player. His ongoing 5-match ban has proven that, as they won only 1 of the next 3 games he missed, and clearly they don’t have enough quality in depth in that area.

The pair of Hayden and Colback have been deployed in his absence, and the latter has been largely underwhelming. Rangers midfielder Josh Windass, and Porto box to box midfielder Hector Herrera, have both been identified as winter transfer targets.

Getting either of them will do Newcastle’s campaign good for the rest of the season, as Shelvey won’t be always available to bail them out.

Sign another striker

A backup or supporting striker must also be brought in this window to help Dwight Gayle out. The former Crystal Palace striker has most goals in the Championship (19), but can be missing or out of luck in some games as the case has been so far, and the burden on him must be reduced by bringing in a striker able to excel behind him in an attacking midfield role or off the bench.

The duo of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Pérez haven’t been able to help share the goalscoring responsibilities, with 6 goals in between the 2. Such forms of theirs won’t be able to give Newcastle that needed competitive edge, and with it’s why acquiring another striker is pertinent for Benitez if he is to lead the Magpies to the Championship title.

Win at the American Express Community Stadium

Come January 28, current league leaders Brighton & Hove Albion host Newcastle at home, and it’s a fixture that could go a long way in deciding the eventual winner of the Championship this season.

At the moment, Brighton lead Newcastle with 2 points with a game in hand. The 19th-placed Cardiff City aren’t a team capable of causing any sorts of problems, and it’s almost a sure 3 points in the bag for Albion.

With as much as 5 points ahead of Newcastle, another win over them at the American Express Community Stadium will extend their lead on the log to 8 points, and that would be too much a gap to close down.

If Benitez still wants to remain in the title race, he must lead Newcastle to victory in the last game of January. Failure to do that could have huge consequences.