Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez is hoping that that competition for places in the Magpies’ starting eleven will mean all players will be determined to perform at their highest level whilst in the side.
The Spaniard made changes from the side that lost at the weekend against Wolves in the league for the same opponents in the EFl Cup last night, and he saw his side have a reversal of fortunes with goals from Matt Ritchie and Yoan Gouffran in the space of two minutes mid way through the first half securing a 2-0 result. Speaking to the Shields Gazette, Benitez said he was hopeful that players will be more worried about securing their place in the team rather than about the match itself:
“It is important for us, and for the players, to feel that there is a lot of competition. That is good for everyone. The players know they have to go on the pitch and do their best, and it doesn’t matter about the competition or the game. “That is a key factor if we want to be strong and successfully manage the number of games we are going to play this year.”
There were debuts for left back Achraf Lazaar and striker Daryl Murphy while Grant Hanley, Kieran Clark, Karl Darlow, DeAndre Yedlin and Jack Colback all returned to the starting eleven. It will be intriguing to see whether Benitez keeps all of these players in the side for the match against Aston Villa at the weekend.
