Rafa Urging United To "Concentrate"

By Tom Easterby - Newcastle United Club Reporter

Rafa Benitez has urged his players to "concentrate" as they bid to extend their winning run in the Sky Bet Championship to five games at Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night.

The Magpies head to Loftus Road (7.45pm kick-off) looking for a second win in four days after the 2-0 victory at Derby County on Saturday.

Another three points in the capital would ensure Benitez's men continue in their pursuit of table-toppers Huddersfield Town, who are unbeaten so far this term.

But the United boss is keen to ensure that feet stay firmly on the ground at this stage of the season, and wants his team to maintain their focus, saying they have "done nothing yet".

"We have confidence now that we are doing well. The players know what the Championship means, but still my main message is that we have to concentrate," he said.

"We cannot be overconfident, and we have to be sure that we approach every game like the most important game of the season.

"To win games in a row, to do well and to improve - those are the main things. If we can carry on doing the same, I will be pleased and after, we will see the table.

"But the main thing is to be sure that we are concentrating, we are focused and we approach every game with the right mentality. We have done nothing yet, so we have to carry on working very hard."

One player who has come to the fore in recent weeks is winger Yoan Gouffran, who scored a superb opener for United at the iPro Stadium at the weekend.

And Benitez said that the Frenchman's hard work and enduring professionalism was beginning to earn him his reward.

"I can see him training every day, and I said before that he is a good professional and he is working very hard every day," he said. "He's happy, so he is someone who is always smiling and laughing, so I think he is doing what he was doing before. There is more accuracy now in his shooting, and he is doing well.

"I'm really pleased for him, really pleased for us, for the team, for the club and for everyone here. It's something that you are expecting from players, that they keep working hard, and sometimes they deserve to do well and score goals, and it's much better for them."

The Magpies manager also reserved praise for midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, who has grown in influence over the past month.

"I think he knows his strength and also his problems, and he's working on that and he's improving," explained Benitez. "During the summer he was working very, very hard, trying to be fit. At the beginning of the season it was the same, you could see every training session that he had more confidence and he was playing better.

"He's a player that needs confidence, and his first goal was massive for him too. There's a lot of positives, because he's been working very hard and little by little, he's learning things about his game and that is positive for his future too."