James Milner feels Liverpool can claim three points against Newcastle at Anfield
Liverpool get ready to play host to Newcastle United at Anfield on Boxing Day and James Milner has made it clear that ex-Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez should not expect any favours from his old club.
The Reds are currently the only unbeaten side in the Premier League and are four points clear of Manchester City atop the standings. With the Citizens crumbling to defeats against Chelsea and Crystal Palace in recent weeks, the Reds are the front-runners to win the title.
However, things are not going to be easy for the Merseysiders when they play host to a resilient and resurgent Newcastle unit on Boxing Day. The Magpies have played some dogged defensive football against the top flight sides this season and Liverpool can expect the same at Anfield.
But Milner feels Liverpool’s strength is that they have become more than just the attack-minded outfit who sought to blast teams away quickly last term.
“He’s obviously shown over the years that he’s very good tactically and a very good manager,” Milner said of Benitez in an interview with Liverpool’s official website.
“He’ll set his team up and he’ll no doubt watch a lot of our games so he’ll know where he thinks our strengths and weaknesses are, so it’s down to us to be able to adapt.
“I think we’ve done that well this year, finding different ways to win games. You can’t always play free-flowing, attacking football and be on the front foot for 90 minutes in every game.
“It’d be nice if you could be but you can’t. You have to adapt and find a way to win and find the right way to play in each game, and that dictates how we play on the day but also how the opposition sets up and how the manager wants us to play.
“I think that’s a good quality within the group. We have that, we have different ways of playing, we can play different formations, and we have a very strong squad with a lot of good players and also players who can play in different formations and styles of play.”
