Monday 14 March 2016 23:48, UK
As Rafa Benitez prepares to take his Newcastle bow against Leicester on Monday Night Football, we look at his previous opening games as manager...
And it bodes well for Toon fans, who are a point from safety with 10 to play in the Premier League, starting with a trip to the league leaders at the King Power Stadium.
Since the beginning of his successful tenure at Valencia, he has never lost an opening game as manager, and has taken an average of 20 points from his opening 30 available in the league.
Valencia 1-0 Real Madrid - August 25, 2001
First 10 league games: W4 D6 L0 (18 points out of 30)
Valencia sold Gaizka Mendieta to Lazio in the summer of 2001 and brought in Salva Ballesta from Atletico Madrid, as well as Carlos Marchena and Mista on free transfers, and after finishing fifth in La Liga under Hector Cuper, a top four finish would have been a success.
Champions Real Madrid turned up at Mestalla on the opening day of the 2001/02 season, and were beaten by an early Miguel Angel Angulo strike, before Benitez went unbeaten in their opening 10 games.
He lost the return fixture at the Bernabeu by the same 1-0 scoreline, but came out on top come May to win the club their first title since 1971.
Grazer AK 0-2 Liverpool - August 10, 2004 (Champions League) / Tottenham 1-1 Liverpool - August 14, 2004 (Premier League)
First 10 league games: W5 D2 L3 (17 points out of 30)
Benitez's famed Liverpool stint began with a Champions League qualifying trip to Austria to face Grazer AK, won by two Steven Gerrard goals either side of half-time.
His first Premier League game was a 1-1 draw with Tottenham at White Hart Lane, with Jermain Defoe's goal cancelling out Djibril Cisse's league debut goal, and ended up with 17 points out of 30 from his first 10 league games.
He did lose the return leg against Grazer at Anfield, but went on to win the Champions League in Istanbul against AC Milan.
Inter 3-1 AS Roma (Super Cup) - August 21, 2010 / Bologna 0-0 Inter (Serie A) - August 30, 2010
First 10 league games: W5 D4 L1 (19 points out of 30)
The Spaniard's 25-game tenure at Inter got off to the best possible start with a 3-1 win over Roma in the Italian Super Cup final, thanks to a double from Samuel Eto'o after Goran Pandev's equaliser at the San Siro.
The then-European champions then lost their UEFA Super Cup clash against Atletico Madrid in Monaco, before a 0-0 draw at Bologna on the opening day of the Serie A season.
He took 19 points from 30 in his opening 10 league games, but was sacked in December with Inter in sixth place despite winning the Club World Cup just days before.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City - November 25, 2012
First 10 league games: W5 D3 L2 (18 points out of 30)
Benitez suffered a fiercely hostile reception from Chelsea's supporters as his managerial reign opened with a goalless draw against champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
Roman Abramovich appointed the former Liverpool manager on an interim basis after sacking Roberto Di Matteo only six months after winning the Champions League and FA Cup.
Chelsea could only manage another goalless draw against Fulham three days later, before a 3-1 defeat by West Ham.
He managed to turn it around at Stamford Bridge, however, winning the Europa League against Benfica and finishing third in the Premier League.
Napoli 3-0 Bologna - August 25, 2013
First 10 league games: W8 D1 L1 (25 points out of 30)
Benitez's first 10 league games with Napoli yielded 25 points, his best start to a managerial project. His first Serie A game was a 3-0 win over Bologna, before further victories over AC Milan and Fiorentina on their way to a third-place finish.
Napoli finished a disappointing fifth in 2014/15, before Real Madrid made their move...
Sporting Gijon 0-0 Real Madrid - August 23, 2015
First 10 league games: W7 D3 (24 points out of 30)
Some believe Benitez's days at Real Madrid were numbered before they even began, and a 0-0 draw at newly-promoted Sporting Gijon back in August went no way to hushing the criticism surrounding his appointment.
He followed it with five straight wins, scoring 18 goals in the process, and went unbeaten until November, when shattering defeats against Sevilla and then Barcelona put pressure on the 55-year-old.
He ended his 25-game stint with a 2-2 draw at former side Valencia, and was replaced by Zinedine Zidane, whose points-per-game record in La Liga is only slightly better.
