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Rafael Benitez v Manuel Pellegrini: Would Rafa thrive once again if given the spending power of West Ham United?

After their recent 3-0 defeat to West Ham United at St James Park, Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez insisted that the Hammers spending power was the difference between the two sides.

West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini was backed with over £90m worth of talent in the summer, whereas Benitez spent a modest £17m on new additions.

It’s evident that Benitez will need to bring in new recruits in the January transfer window if Newcastle are to avoid a relegation battle, but that all depends on the board.

At the start of the season, both clubs were languishing at the bottom of the table but Benitez and Pellegrini have both overseen an upturn in fortunes in recent times.

Both managers have strong pedigrees and although Pellegrini has the upper hand in terms of spending currently, it would be interesting to see how Benitez would compare against the Chilean if given similar funds.

Here, we take a look at how both managers shape up and determine whether Benitez would revive Newcastle if provided equal spending power.

What their records say

Benitez and Pellegrini both crafted their trade in Spain’s top flight, and the duo became highly sought-after property with their exploits at Valencia and Villarreal respectively.

Benitez is still the only manager in world football to win the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA World Club Cup.

The former Liverpool boss won two La Liga titles whilst at Valencia, before a successful stint at Anfield before entertaining Inter Milan, Napoli and Real Madrid.

Despite being dismissed from the San Siro and Bernabeu, Benitez did manage to win the Supercoppa Italiana and Club World Cup for Inter whilst he lifted the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa for a second time with Napoli.

Pellegrini shot into the limelight after guiding Villarreal to a Champions League semi-final in 2006, narrowly losing out to Arsenal.

‘The yellow submarine’ also stopped Real Madrid and Barcelona’s dominance when they finished second in the 2007/08 campaign.

His consistent record at Villarreal generated interest from Real, with Los Blancos swooping to get their man in 2009.

Pellegrini’s time at the Bernabeu was short lived and although he managed 96 points – a Madrid record at the time – it wasn’t enough to win the title and he was swiftly removed.

A much more successful stint at Malaga followed where he led them to third in the league and to the quarter-finals of the Champions League the following campaign.
Manchester City were next for Pellegrini and the oil-rich club tasted success in the Chilean’s first season, guiding them to a second Premier League title.

Who’s most reputable?

Both managers have exceeded expectations at some point in their careers as well as underperformed, but Benitez and Pellegrini will always be regarded as world class managers.

Their CV’s are very impressive and both have certainly left their mark whilst managing in England, leaving West Ham and Newcastle fans more than optimistic Pellegrini and Benitez can move both clubs forward.

With that in mind, Benitez has been shackled in his task to bring the glory days back to St James’ Park. Mike Ashley’s tenure has always been scrutinised by the Geordie faithful and despite the lack of funds Benitez is provided, he continues to get the best out of what he has to work with.

From Pellegrini’s perspective, it’s been the polar opposite in terms of being able to identify and purchase players of high quality.

Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho are just three signings that Pellegrini purchased whilst City boss, for a total of £161m.

The likes of Issa Diop, Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson have joined Pellegrini at the London Stadium this season with the latter making a really good impression; his best performance coming in the recent 3-0 win over Newcastle.

Benitez has purchased high-calibre players in previous jobs but since taking over Newcastle in 2016, it has meant the Spaniard has had a shoe-string budget to work on but has done so with great results. Even if Newcastle are priced at 4/1 in the Premier League relegation odds.

It would be interesting to see how Pellegrini would fare if provided similar circumstances as Benitez, with the likelihood he’d potentially struggle at first but could mirror the former Liverpool boss’ work.

In comparison, Pellegrini and Benitez are seemingly on par with each other when it comes to reputation, trophy’s won and man management skills.

However, with Rafa’s inability to fine-tune a squad of his own at Newcastle, it begs the question why he didn’t force through a switch to east London in the summer, where he certainly would have thrived again if given the funds of Pellegrini.

There is always something unnerving and yet satisfying for supporters when a long serving player says that they want to end their career at the club, in Hammers case it is Captain Mark Noble. Noble debuted in 2004 as a 17 year old and has gone on to play around 450 games for the club, the option to extend his contract keeping him at the club until 2021 has been taken up, it is also envisaged that his services will be retained in a coaching capacity once he has hung up his boots for good.

Noble is something of a rarity being a 'one club' man, it is unlikely that there will be many more players of the same ilk in the future, in fact it will be unheard of! Noble's renaisance as a player has come about as a result of Manuel Pelegrini recognising the need for a leader on the pitch, having been dropped by Slaven Billic, David Moyes and initially by Pellegrini Noble's comeback has been nothing short of 'Furyesque' as he has seen off the opposition on numerous occasions. Playing alongside the magnificent Declan Rice, Noble has reinvented himself as a midfield destroyer, the fact that Issa Diop and The General are there to pick up the pieces means that Noble does not get caught out of position and is therefore less likely to lunge in.

Noble himself will admit he has lost the odd yard, but it matters not so long as he has young legs around him to cover for his lack of pace, his passion and influence offset his flaws as a player and he does tend to make a habit of playing better when he has class players around him, it happened when Payet was at the club and it appears to be happeneing now as a result of him playing alongside Felipe Anderson, among others. Noble replacements have come and gone in the past but inevitably he will have less of an influence on games as his age catches up with him, after all not every one can have Pablo Zabaleta's genes!

The duration of Noble's contract may have some fans thinking that it s a rather generous gesture from the club, however his wages which are believed to be £50,000 per week are not high compared with what is the norm nowadays and he does have a good footballing brain, sometimes his intelligence isn't noticed because it is disguised by his Canning Town accent with people just assuming he is a dumb footballer, that is far from the case and once he finally retires he will shine in a coaching capacity as well as being an entertaining studio guest for the broadcasters.

Mark Noble, a dying breed. - Ed

Hammers injuries sustained list has grown alarmingly during the course of the season and pre-season, the latest to succumb being Lucas Perez with a foot injury that looks as if he were shot! So another player down but at least one is due back, only problem is that the player in question is Jack Wilshere. The midfielder is available for selection against Fulham this weekend having recovered from yet another injury sustained while recovering from an earlier ankle operation.

Despite players 'dropping like flies' and the squad being down to the bare 'Arry's', quite how Manuel Pellegrini will utilise Wilshere is difficult to see unless it is as a substitute to replace captain Mark Noble for the latter stages of matches, if he is used as a 'super sub' then he is a bloody expensive luxury given the wages of reportedly £100,000 per week that he is receiving. The preferred midfield of Rice,Noble and Snodgrass is perfroming well so it is unlikely to be changed which means Wilshere would have to replace someone else, but who?

It appears the best that Wilshere can hope for is a place on the bench, but even then who would he replace on the bench? Diangana maybe, but he is a different player entirely, however as this is West Ham United it is entirely conceivable that someone will get injured sooner rather than later, so Jack may have to bide his time, perhaps he might do a bit more gymwork as he has hardly been looking lithe of late. He might even take a leaf out of Snoddgrass's book and lose a few pounds. - Ed

West Ham United youngster Reece Oxford is reportedly on the radar of Manchester City and Bundesliga sides Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim, where these reports eminate from is a matter of some conjecture. There are some who feel that 19 year old Oxford has been poorly advised by his agent who seems more interested in short term financial gratification as opposed to plotting a long and successful career path for his client. Having 'engineered' a situation that saw his client signing a £1 Million per year contract he has now agitated for his charge to move to a club that appreciates his undeniable talent even more.

Why has this situation been allowed to develop? Well essentially fear and greed, fear from the club's hierarchy that they would lose a young talent in the same way that they lost Rio, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Jermaine Defoe. That is why the club stumped up for such a generous settlement for the youngster, the only problem being that far from ensuring the player's happiness the opposite has occured, the term 'Billy Big Bollocks' might be best used to describe what has happened to the affable Oxford, although to be fairer, 'too much too young' might be a more balanced view.

Either way the end result of all the manoeuvering that has gone on has been poor for both player and club, a parting of the ways looks likely as Manuel Pellegrini obviously doesn't like what he sees in Oxford. It is not as if the ex-Manchester City manager isn't willing to give youth a chance, his deployment of Declan Rice in midfield and introduction of Grady Diangana clearly shows that he is prepared to take a risk by using young players, but not in Oxford's case. Pellegrini is old school, and perhaps the brashness exhibited by Oxford has rubbed him up the wrong way, it seems the January transfer window might see the talented Oxford leave the club, possibly on loan yet again.

Football is littered with what might have beens, and sadly Oxford is beginning to fall into that category, at least while he is at West Ham. Perhaps it will be beter for all parties if he does leave, but there will always be the lingering thoughts of what if? - Ed