Jonás Gutiérrez confident of Premier League survival

Apr 25 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

Gutiérrez believes team spirit was crucial in beating the drop – and sees similar qualities at St James’s Park.

"The spirit in that Mallorca side was brilliant, and that definitely made a difference," he said. "In a situation like this, it is often as much about how much you pull together and play

together as anything else. If you are not together, it will be impossible to get the results you need. That’s why I am confident about the situation here. The team spirit at Newcastle is similar to what it was like at Mallorca.

"The team are all thinking the same way, and that is a very good thing."

The Argentina international believes the experience of a dressing room which contains the likes of Habib Beye, Nicky Butt, Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, Kevin Nolan, Ryan Taylor, Damien Duff and Sébastien Bassong – who have all been involved in relegation battles – gives Newcastle a mental edge.

"People talk about being brave when you are fighting against relegation, but I think the most important thing is to be calm," he said.

"Sometimes, the hardest thing can be playing your normal game. You can’t think about the pressure – you have to stay calm and try to treat the match in the same way you would any other.

"The most important thing is to relax, try to keep the ball, but make sure you keep up your concentration. One mistake is sometimes all you need for all of your good work to fall apart.

"This is a team and squad with a lot of experienced players in it. We have players who have played in big games for their clubs and countries and they are not going to be afraid of what this means. In this situation, we need the experienced players to take control of things."