Rafael Benitez says he’s fighting against Cyclops at Newcastle, but that the fans like him

Rafael Benitez loves a saying.

White liquid in a bottle? Must be milk. 

Some people are happy being the tail of the lion, some prefer to be the head of the mouse.

I was hoping for a sofa and they brought me a table lamp.

Some people cannot see a priest on a mountain of sugar.

Those are all mutterings the Spaniard has shared with us all. Usually, they make sense, but we’re not quite sure about what he’s said to Gazzetta dello Sport for an interview in their Sunday edition.

Speaking mainly about Napoli and his time at the Serie A club, Benitez was also asked how things are going in his current job at Newcastle United.

“The fans like me, the team is recovering. Let’s try to fight against the Cyclops with our best weapon: the open game. And aiming for the highest goals as I have always done in my career.”

Maybe Mike Ashley is the one eyed monster from Greek and Roman mythology in this instance, or maybe it’s the big boys of the Premier League.

Benitez was also asked which players he likes in Italy, and said: “Chiesa has everything to excel, but you also have very interesting young guys: particularly, Tonali and Kean. My friend Filippo Fusco (an Italian sports director) talked to me very well. It is a good sign that Mancini has called them on the national team.”

The Newcastle boss wasn’t talking about identifying those players for Newcastle, to be clear.

Asked if he’d consider returning to manage in Italy, Benitez said: “I still want to fight to win titles and lift trophies, to compete at the highest levels. And the Italian Serie A is one of the most important championships in the world. I also have the advantage of speaking the language, of knowing and admiring the Italian culture: this helps. So you never know in the future what will happen.”