Newcastle Boss Rafa Benitez Admits it Has Been 'Difficult to Enjoy the Job' This Season

Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has admitted that he hasn't "enjoyed" this season but insisted that he is still "pleased" to be the Magpies' manager. 

Benitez was appointed by Newcastle as Steve McClaren's successor back in 2016. The Spaniard was unable to prevent the club from suffering relegation to the Championship, but masterminded an immediate return to the Premier League the following season. 

Upon their return, Newcastle have struggled both on and off the pitch, with stalling takeover talks dominating the headlines. The club are currently 13th in the table but have only four more points than 18th-placed Southampton. 

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“Have I enjoyed being Newcastle manager? I enjoy it when we are winning. I like to do things well and when you see something is right, I’m really proud," Benitez is quoted as saying by the Times.

"But it’s difficult to enjoy it when you are suffering all the time because you have to win and then you lose. Have I enjoyed this season? No, but maybe the word ‘enjoyment’ is different in English.

"I’m really pleased with my job. I like it. But enjoyment is when you score eight goals in the Champions League against Besiktas," he continued. 

“When you know the fans are against you, it’s not the same passion. When they support me in the way they’re supporting me here, you feel this responsibility. 

"I am really proud of that. I try to focus during games - doing my job properly is the best thing I can do for them - but sometimes when they sing my name, I have to wave," Benitez revealed. 

“Everybody expects me to be right every time. I’m not, but I try to do my best, to make sure I make less mistakes, to be sure this team will stay up. I sleep, but I feel this support and I feel this responsibility.

"Not just for the games and the performances, but every decision. Sometimes you want to improve things and sometimes you cannot.”