We analyse Rafael Benitezs first game in charge of Newcastle after his reign began with a 1-0 defeat by Premier League leaders Leicester… There was no winning start for Rafael Benitez as Shinji Okazakis first-half bicycle kick kept Newcastle one point adrift of safety. But amid the gloom of a 10th defeat in 13 games, there were signs that the new manager is already putting his stamp on the team ahead of their Super Sunday showdown with Sunderland.Benitez described commitment as the main attribute he wanted to see from his Newcastle players in the build-up to their trip to the Midlands, and the former Liverpool and Real Madrid manager will certainly have taken encouragement from how they started at the King Power Stadium. Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez focused on the positives following his first game in charge against Leicester Moussa Sissoko set the tone by sprinting 50 yards to close down Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in the opening 20 seconds, and Newcastles aggressive approach immediately put Claudio Ranieris side on the back foot.In the Monday Night Football studio, Southampton manger Ronald Koeman was impressed. They showed really good mentality from the start in the game, he said. Ayoze Perez, Jack Colback and Sissoko had presentable scoring chances in the early stages, and after 20 minutes Newcastle had already had as many shots (five) as in the whole of their last away game against Stoke. Carragher on Newcastle Carra says Toon squad lacks quality The attacking intent was a welcome sight for the travelling fans, and there was also evidence of improved defensive organisation. If I had to think of Newcastle in the Premier League era, it would be madness, people running all over the place and getting caught out of position, said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher before kick-off. But while Benitez had only had three days to work with his new players, he had clearly managed to get some of his ideas across. Newcastle lined up in two tight banks of four when Leicester had possession, with Georginio Wijnaldum and Aleksandar Mitrovic also helping out from more advanced positions.You never associate Newcastle with being a compact team, but thats everything Rafas about, added Carragher, who played under the Spaniard for six years at Anfield. Thats really tight, and very difficult to beat. Thats what they were doing - they were really frustrating Leicester. Newcastle were compact when Leicester had possession, with striker Aleksandar Mitrovic positioned not too far away from the back four With Benitez a typically animated figure in the dugout, Newcastle succeeded in limiting Leicesters scoring opportunities. You could see what Rafa had worked on in his first two or three days, added Carragher. It took me back to what we were doing at Liverpool. Very difficult to play through, very compact and very organised. Hard-working Newcastle Newcastle covered 110.96km at the King Power Stadium compared to Leicesters 109.73km. Leicester did occasionally find space to attack Newcastles makeshift defence, but it took Okazakis moment of magic to find a way through. The stats highlighted how effectively the visitors contained the hosts, with the winner coming from the Foxes only shot on target.It was the first time all season that Leicester have only mustered a single shot on target over the course of a Premier League fixture, and their overall total of four efforts on goal was way down on their average of 10.17 per game. Newcastles Vurnon Anita and Leicesters Jamie Vardy in action Newcastle were ultimately undone by a failure to defend a set piece, but Koeman and Carragher felt they were unlucky to fall behind - especially with questions of offside over Jamie Vardys positioning in the build-up to the goal. The goal came out of nothing, said Koeman. Newcastle were making it very difficult and Leicester didnt create anything.Benitezs men continued to stifle the hosts for most of the second half, but they couldnt find the cutting edge in attack to match their new-found defensive solidity. Their struggles in front of goal were summed up by a mis-hit effort from substitute Siem de Jong in the 84th minute, and Carragher felt a lack of quality up front should be Benitezs biggest concern.A perception of Newcastle is that they have too much quality to be in this position, and that maybe its an attitude problem, he said. But I think there is a lack of quality there. Only bottom side Aston Villa have scored fewer goals than Newcastle this season, and only seven of their 28 have come away from St James Park. I think the goal record shows that there arent enough good players and thats why theyre in this situation, added Carragher. We didnt see that quality in front of goal. Its difficult against Leicester but the goal record tells you everything.Benitez will need to find a remedy to Newcastles goalscoring travails ahead of Sundays vital Tyne-Wear derby, but he can take heart from other aspects of their performance against Leicester. With games against fellow strugglers Sunderland, Norwich and Aston Villa still to come, the Magpies might yet be able to fight their way out of trouble. Get Sky Sports Alerts Breaking news, line ups and goal alerts from your football club - direct to your mobile Also See: Okazaki sends Foxes five clear Benitez focused on positives Arsenal, City out of title race Ranieri hails fantastic spirit Magic Johnson Jersey . TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie both reported Thursday that there have been ongoing trade discussions between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings over forward Sam Gagner. Dennis Rodman Lakers Jersey . LaQuinton Ross scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, hitting his first four 3-pointers, to send No. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/Nick-Van-Exel-Jersey/ . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game. Wilt Chamberlain Lakers Jersey . Fans can also watch the game on the newly launched TSN GO (currently available to Bell TV and Rogers customers), which gives TSN subscribers the freedom to live stream the networks programming from their smartphones, tablets, and computers at no additional charge – just as they would watch Canadas Sports Leader on TV at home. The following week, MLS ON TSN is at BMO Field in Toronto to deliver live coverage of TFCs home opener vs. D.C. United on Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 p. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Jersey . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released veteran guard Davin Joseph, a mainstay on their offensive line over the past eight seasons.(SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant will continue his campaign for MVP Thursday, when the Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to Chesapeake Energy Arena. Watch the Lakers vs. Thunder live tonight on TSN2 starting at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. Durant is the NBAs leading scorer with 31.9 points per game and is averaging 35.7 ppg in his last 12. He helped the Thunder to a 106-98 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday with a 42-point performance on 12-of-22 shooting. He also made 13-of-16 from the foul line. Russell Westbrook scored 24 points and Serge Ibaka chipped in 12 to go with 16 rebounds, as the Thunder ended a two-game losing streak and won for the fourth time in the last six tries. Oklahoma City held the high-scoring Rockets to 41.8 percent shooting and used a 30-17 advantage in the second quarter to build a sizeable lead. "Defensively I thought we did a great job of locking in for four quarters," said Westbrook. The Thunder will close out their three-game homestand Sunday versus Dallas and have won four in a row in the OKC. They are 27-6 as the host, including a 17-2 mark against visiting Western foes. Oklahoma City, which is headed toward another playoff berth, also sits one game behind San Antonio for the Wests top seed. Now that Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is officially done for the season with a balky knee, the team can move on. The team made the announcement Wednesday. "With Kobes injury still not healed, the amount of ttime hed need to rehab and be ready to play, and the amount of time remaining in the season, weve simply run out of time for him to return," Lakers trainer Gary Vitti said.dddddddddddd. "However, Kobe will have the entire offseason to heal, rehab and prepare, and we look forward to him being 100 percent for the start of next season." Bryant also made a statement. "Obviously this has been a frustrating and disappointing season, but I appreciate all the support Ive received from the Lakers and the fans, and look forward to being back and ready for the start of training camp." The Lakers will play two in a row on the road against Oklahoma City and San Antonio, and have an 11-22 record as the visitor this season. The well-rested Lakers won the last time out in a 114-110 victory over the Thunder on Sunday and were led by Jodie Meeks career-high 42 points. Meeks sank 6-of-11 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the third quarter, while Pau Gasol ended with 20 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles, which ended a three-game slide and won for just the fourth time in the past 14 tries. "Jodie Meeks has been our most consistent performer all year," said Lakers head coach Mike DAntoni. In milestone news, Gasol will play in his 900th career game. L.A. snapped a three-game losing streak to the Thunder last weekend, but has lost eight of the past 11 meetings between the teams. The Lakers have lost four in a row at Oklahoma City. ' ' '