Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez feels that every game is like a final now for his team as they battle to move up the Premier League table.
Benitez, who has just been announced as the Manager of the Month for November, has taken Newcastle up to 15th in the table and they are three points ahead of this weekend’s opponents, Huddersfield Town.
“For us, every game is like a final,” Benitez told his pre-match press conference.
“We have to approach every game thinking that one point can make a massive difference at the end of the season – that’s why I was upset the other day.”
The former Liverpool manager watched on as his side lost 2-1 at home to Wolves last Sunday and he was very unhappy with some refereeing decisions in the game.
Mainly, it was Mike Dean’s decision to dismiss DeAndre Yedlin for a professional foul and his refusal to give Ayoze Perez a penalty after a tough challenge from Wily Boly that really had Benitez fuming.
“Obviously, I was not happy – VAR is something we need sooner rather than later,” said Benitez.
“The next two games will be massive.”
After this weekend’s game at Huddersfield, Newcastle play at home to Fulham on the 22nd before travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool on the 26th.