Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez says he will not rotate players if they are playing so well that they become undroppable. The Magpies boss made a number of changes against Wolves at the weekend and the 2-0 defeat led to questions about the Spaniard’s rotation policy in his pre-match press conference yesterday for the repeat fixture in the EFL Cup.
Benitez used the examples of both Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Perez who had kept their places in the side on form after the 6-0 win against Queens Park Rangers in mid week. He is quoted by the Shields Gazette as saying:
“Ayoze (Perez) and Jonjo (Shelvey) did so well in the game at QPR that I felt I had to keep them in the team (against Wolves). It is not the case that you are simply changing players because you feel like you have to. Some players will continue playing in the team if they do well, although it depends on the position and the competition we are in. It could be that you have one striker scoring a lot of goals, but you have another training so well that they have to get a chance. But it could be that one player keeps on scoring and stays in the team. It is about finding the balance between rotating and choosing the right team for every game.”
Benitez has also revealed that Daryl Murphy could start against Wolves tonight. The Irish international has not featured in the squad since joining from Ipswich Town for £3million in August with Ayoze Perez, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dwight Gayle all currently ahead of him in the pecking order at St James’ Park. The 33 year old could however stake a claim for a place tonight.
