NEWCASTLE boss Rafa Benitez has been speaking to the press ahead of Monday night's Championship game with Aston Villa.
ON THE INJURIES:
"We were a little bit disappointed because we could win two more points, but we were happy with the performance of the team.
"The good news is that we have a lot of players coming back. (Dwight) Gayle has been training, and (Vurnon) Anita has been training today too.
"We have pretty much everyone fit, apart from (Isaac) Hayden, who has had an operation on his ankle. He has had the operation, it is not really serious but he could be out for about four weeks, more or less."
ON DWIGHT GAYLE:
"Dwight is fine. He has been training today, and he was happy. If he continues training, he is available and we will have to decide whether he plays."
ON KARL DARLOW:
"I don’t criticise a player for one mistake or one game, especially when you are thinking about a keeper that has had 11 clean sheets.
"You have to analyse the consistency of the players, and I am really pleased with how he has been doing.
ON ASTON VILLA:
"Our fans come to the stadium in numbers and support the team. It doesn’t matter who we are playing, but in Villa we are talking about a big club with a lot of history.
"They have spent a lot of money and have good players with a good manager. The fans will enjoy it if we win because if you have a strong team in front of you, it is always much better.
ON STEVE BRUCE:
"I think he is a great manager with experience. He has a new challenge with a new club, but he did well last season.
"I said before that April has seven games and May has one. After this crucial time, we still have a lot of games to play, in the end, you have to keep your consistency, keep your head cool and try to win every game.
"These games will be important, but so will the others."
ON VILLA'S STRUGGLES:
"Some people think if you spend money you have to be better, but in football one plus one does not always make two. It proves how difficult the Championship is.
"You see teams going down through relegation and they cannot go up the season after. That shows how hard the competition is.
"It is easier for a team that has been in the top six for a long time to go up than a team that has come down. Why? Because when you go down it means something is wrong and you have to change a lot of things.
"A team like Brighton who are already there only have to change two or three players in the summer – if you go down, you maybe have to change half a team.
"I can understand why it has been difficult for them. It will be a tough game for us because they are a good team and they have good players."
ON STICKING TOGETHER:
"I can just praise my players and the staff here. The players have realised if they stick together, that is way to perform and win games. We have to carry on with the same mentality and the same ideas It is always important to react in the way we did.
"That shows we have the character and the passion. Hopefully we don’t have to do that in every game, but we showed great character on the pitch."
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