Steve Bruce v Rafa Benitez – Newcastle United of 2018/19 compared to 2019/20

And it’s fair to say Bruce’s achievements so far compare favourably to the European Cup winning manager, who left St James’s Park in the summer.

Here our writers Liam Kennedy and Jordan Cronin take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the United side of this season and last, and evaluate whether Bruce is getting the credit he deserves, or whether he’s inherited a favourable set of circumstances on Tyneside.

Rafa Benitez v Steve Bruce – barring the obvious, what are the key differences in style?

LK: “Bruce quite clearly came to the club wanting to play a much more expansive way than we have ultimately seen. He broke apart the idea of Rafa Benitez’s side, given he wants to play two up front and four at the back, then put it back together again. Results reflected that switch, too. Now, having gone back to basics with the players he has at his disposal United look a real threat in the final third, even if goals from the frontline are few and far between. More attacking intent would be the way I’d describe Bruce's style, but so far we have seen little in the way of end product.”

JC: “In no way is this a criticism of Benitez but I’d argue Newcastle are more exciting to watch going forward. The difference Jetro Willems and Allan Saint-Maximum have made on the left side is incredible. The way the pair work is the biggest example I can give in the two contrasting styles - Willems effectively plays as a winger at times and that gets Saint-Maximin in more dangerous positions up the field. United definitely have more width than last season. Naturally, that leaves United more open at the back but it isn’t costing Bruce yet, so fair play to him for being bold.”

More points and a little more style but less trust and solidity – is that a fair evaluation of the two manager's seasons?

LK: “Sounds about right. With Benitez there was a trust in the process like no other who has graced the dugout at United. He may not have had the best players but he found a system to suit, had players drilled tactically and made them very, very hard to beat. It has taken Bruce time to work out exactly what United are and I think for that reason, they’ve been a little more erratic.”

JC: “I think you can see fans are starting to warm to Bruce now - he’s a likeable character, he’s doing a good job but you’re right, it comes down to lack of trust. Everyone trusted the process under Benitez. You see how tight the Premier League table is at the bottom, Newcastle lose two in a row - everyone starts to panic. With Benitez, panic stations were rarely hit but that’s something Bruce has to deal with. He’s said it himself, he isn’t Rafa Benitez - and he doesn’t carry the reputation Benitez has either.”

How have Benitez’s men adapted to Bruce’s approach?

LK: “Some have adapted, some have not. Yoshinori Muto and Ki Sung-yeung have been cast aside by Bruce, while both played their part, particularly the latter under Benitez. One player I thought seriously at risk of falling into that category was Federico Fernandez, but in recent weeks he’s proven himself as a top Premier League defender, along with Ciaran Clark.”

JC: “The transition has been fairly smooth because not a lot has changed - just a few tactical tweaks there and then. Had Bruce insisted on playing a 4-4-2 formation for the rest of the season then that might have brought serious issues but thankfully he scraped that idea for his own and the team’s good.”

Was it a tactical masterstroke by Bruce to switch back to Rafa’s system or a man running out of ideas?

LK: “A bit of both. He clearly ants to play a certain way, but does not have the players to do so. It was a pragmatic approach to take Benitez's notes and develop them - and I think Bruce deserves credit. Given the reputations of the two, it took a brave manager to bin his own ideals (or shelve, at least) and use the system and style of the man he replaced.”

JC: “The Leicester defeat was a massive reality check for Bruce and I actually think reverting back to Benitez’s system was courageous. It would have been easy for him to try the opposite to what the Spaniard done and stamp done his own authority but he didn’t. Instead, he took a moment, realised the type of players he had and conceded that ‘Rafa’s system’ is best fitted for this group of players. The successful managers aren’t always the ones that make drastic changes - let’s hope that proves to be the case for Bruce on Tyneside.”

Will Bruce’s team finish higher than Benitez’s and if so, why?

LK: “I don’t think they will. I think this is going to be the hardest Premier League to stay afloat in for quite some time - and it might take more than 40 points to stay up. I think Newcastle will just have enough, but it might well be tight.”

JC: “I’m going to have to sit on the fence here but I think Bruce’s team have a chance. He has better personnel at his disposal but in fairness, certainly Saint-Maximin would arguably be nowhere Newcastle if Benitez was still in-charge because he just does his own thing. It boils down to two things. Bruce has the personnel while Benitez had less quality but is far better manager.”