Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has reiterated his belief that the month of April will determine whether the Magpies’ season has been a success or a failure.
Benitez’s side will play seven crucial league matches during a four week period, and the Spaniard told the Shields Gazette that if they are going to make it through in one piece, they must go back to first principles, and keep getting the fundamentals right:
“I have been saying for a while that April will be crucial. It’s more clear now that we have to keep doing the things that we were doing well for a long time and then analyse each game trying to find the solutions to our problems and quickly be sure we will be ready for the next one.”
After playing Birmingham City at the weekend, the international break means their next game will come against relegation threatened Wigan Athletic on April 1st. They will then have to face a run of fixtures that include playoff contenders Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End.
Certainly by the time they have faced Cardiff City on 27th April, we should know whether the Magpies have done enough to seal promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
