Date published: Friday 1st March 2019 2:49
Rafael Benitez has told his Newcastle players to stay calm as they approach the Premier League finishing line.
The Magpies are on 31 points, six clear of the bottom three, after back-to-back home victories over Huddersfield and Burnley.
Survival is in their own hands as they prepare for Saturday’s trip to West Ham, but Benitez said: “My message today to the players and to everyone is just still we have a lot of things to do, a lot of work to do.
“We have to stay calm, we have to approach every game with the same idea that we had from day one: one game at a time, the next one is the most important, the next one is a final for us.
“After if we do that, if we get 38 points, 40 points, whatever, then we can keep pushing and enjoy it a little bit more if it’s possible.”
Meanwhile, Benitez revealed that midfielder Jonjo Shelvey had asked to play for the Under-23s at Fulham on Friday evening as he attempts to regain match-fitness.
He said: “Jonjo Shelvey, there’s positive news. He was asking us to play with the Under-23s and he is not involved [at West Ham], so he will play today with the Under-23s.
“He is pushing in the right direction.”
