Newcastle United: Five challenges facing new manager Rafa Benitez

Rafa Benitez is Newcastle's new manager - but he has a number of issues to address to keep them in the Premier League.

The club sacked Steve McClaren on Friday morning and appointed the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss later in the day.

However, with the Magpies currently second bottom of the Premier League, a point off safety, and facing a tough trip to leaders Leicester on Monday Night Football, Benitez will have to get to work quickly.

Here, we look at five key issues Benitez will have to resolve…

Goal scoring

Newcastle have struggled massively in front of goal this season, despite spending heavily on attacking players in both transfer windows.

Their total of 28 goals from 38 games is the second lowest return in the Premier League. Only Aston Villa have scored less this season and the former Real Madrid boss will need to get his strikers firing if they are to avoid relegation.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, Emmanuel Riviere and on-loan Seydou Doumbia have so far failed to impress and Benitez could turn to compatriot Ayoze Perez who, despite impressing towards the end of last season, had seemingly fallen out of favour under McClaren.

Perez's goal scoring record in the Premier League is fairly unremarkable at 13 goals in 60 games. However, the Spaniard has a proven knack of scoring at crucial times and played a prominent role in helping Newcastle avoid relegation last season.

Away form

Possibly the biggest issue that Benitez needs to rectify is Newcastle's shocking form away from St James' Park.

The Magpies have taken just seven points on their travels this season, second worst only to Villa, scoring just seven goals in the process.

Five of the club's remaining ten fixtures are away from home, including key fixtures against fellow strugglers Norwich and Villa. Anything less than six points from those two games could prove terminal for Newcastle's survival chances.

Benitez is known for instilling a backs-to-the-wall attitude at his clubs, having successfully led both Valencia and Liverpool to unexpected trophy wins.

Beating rivals

With Swansea now nine points clear of the drop zone, Newcastle are likely to be up against Villa, Norwich and local rivals Sunderland in the battle to avoid relegation.

The Magpies have taken just ten points from sides in the bottom half of the table so far this season.

With away fixtures against Leicester, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool coming up it is vital that Benitez wins the crucial 'six-pointers' against the league's bottom clubs.

Newcastle still have upcoming games against all three of the other major relegation candidates, starting with a home match against Sunderland on March 20.

The Black Cats have won the last six Tyne-Wear derbies - a record Benitez will be hoping to bring to an end.

The Spaniard struggled to consistently record victories against major rivals during his time in charge of Liverpool, Inter Milan and Real Madrid - effectively leading to his dismissal at all three clubs.

Player morale

Morale in the Newcastle squad is understandably low, with club captain Jonjo Shelvey admitting this week that the players feel as though they let McClaren down.

The Magpies looked like a disjointed side against Bournemouth last Saturday while, in contrast, Sam Allardyce has managed to galvanise his Sunderland squad heading into business end of the campaign.

Players tend to respond immediately to a new managerial appointment and Benitez will be hoping that is the case when his side face league leaders Leicester on Monday.

A positive result against Claudio Ranieri's men could be just the catalyst that Rafa needs to ignite his squad.

Fan support

Benitez will also need to reverse the negative atmosphere that has swamped St James' Park in recent weeks - culminating in the mass revolt that followed the Bournemouth defeat.

On Monday the NUFC Fans Forum published a scathing letter directed at the boardroom, criticising the club's decisions this season.

Benitez divides opinion and has enjoyed a mixed relationship with supporters throughout his managerial career. The 55 year-old notably failed to win over Madrid's notoriously demanding supporters during his time in charge at the Bernabeu.