The Magpies take on Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley tonight (8pm kick-off) before welcoming Chelsea to St. James’ Park on Sunday.
Spurs and the Blues are among a trio of sides battling it out for the Premier League’s two remaining Champions League slots. Mauricio Pochettino’s troops and Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool looked firmly on course for a top-four place a month ago, but a dip in domestic form for both has opened the door for last season’s champions.
United head to the capital on the back of a three-game losing streak, and – after a largely encouraging season on the whole – Benítez is determined for the Magpies to sign off on a positive note.
“When Tottenham were playing in the FA Cup and the game was postponed, we knew the (rearranged) date could be a bad one for us, because Chelsea and Tottenham could both be fighting for something, and that is the reality,” he said. “But it’s good for us to play against top sides and it’s an extra motivation, so we will try to find the positive way.
“My message is easy. I have told them, the media and everyone that it has been a great season for us – a fantastic season. And why has it been so good? Because we have been working as a team, we were together and everybody knew what they had to do. The work-rate and intensity was key for us, and now we have to do the same because it is what we have done to be where we are, and we have to try and continue this idea.”
United looked unusually flat during the first half of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Watford before launching something of a comeback after the break. Benítez, however, is confident that lessons have been learnt ahead of another long-haul trip.
“They knew (at half time) – talking before the game about how to approach it, and we did exactly the opposite,” he said. “I think everybody knows they are professional, and clever enough to know that it is not the way they have to play.
“They changed in the second half – attitude, with the ball, without the ball. It was much better and what we were expecting. I think they know, as I always say, we can win, lose or draw against any team but we have to show desire, show commitment, show passion and play good football if we can.”
