Can the current roster succeed without Rafa Benitez?

If Rafa Benitez walks away from Newcastle United, can the current roster succeed without him on the sideline?

Everyone from fans to pundits are obsessed with the ongoing contract saga between Newcastle United and Rafa Benitez. The Toon Army and the majority of the players want the Spaniard to continue the Rafalution on Tyneside, however, he has remained silent regarding his future plans.

Benitez’s contract expires at the end of this month and his course of action will undoubtedly impact several things at the club. The key question that no one has raised yet, though, is whether or not the current roster, assuming it stays intact, can succeed without the managerial guidance of Benitez?

Success without Rafa?

In short, my overall answer to this question is a moderate yes. Now, just because I said yes does not mean I want Benitez to leave the club on June 30th. I want Benitez to stay and continue what I perceive to be an amazing job he has done with this club. Very few managers can take a struggling, relegated side from the second tier of English football and transform it into a stable mid-table Premier League side in such a short period of time with a limited budget.

That being said, his departure would have a major negative impact on the club, but the Toon would not fail and suddenly become relegation favorites. It is true that Benitez’s tactics have enabled the players on this roster to stay competitive in matches, but would I be far off the mark by saying that some Magpies are better Premier League players than we initially thought?

Several reports have come out over the last few months claiming that prominent managers with positive track records have been lining up at the door for the possible vacancy that Benitez might create. The club would most certainly look to hire an experienced manager with or without a takeover.

Does signing a manager with extensive experience and a far-reaching reputation translate to guaranteed success? Of course not. Football is all about tactics. Seeing that Newcastle United has some promising players in Miguel Almiron and Ayoze Perez to lead the attack, if they remain the focal point of the attack Newcastle United should stay up.

A takeover would definitely shake things up and who knows who the club would target in the transfer market. The signing of quality players would surely boost the Magpies’ odds of earning a higher table finish, but at this point everything is just speculation.

Newcastle United are in great hands with Benitez on the sideline and I hope he stays on Tyneside to continue his gradual transformation of this amazing club. However, I do not think Newcastle United would necessarily be doomed if he walks away this summer. The club would definitely have to act quickly to fix loose ends before the season begins, but there is enough quality in this side to avoid the drop and earn another mid-table finish as long as they play attacking football.

Something tells me that many of you will disagree with my personal assessment and future outlook, but that is perfectly fine and expected. I write for FanSided for a reason – to engage with other passionate fans. Feel free to share your two cents on this question I raised in the comment section below.