Newcastle defender Ciaran Clark has defended Magpies boss Rafa Benitez’s rotation policy despite losing his place in the side’s 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.
The former Aston Villa player played alongside captain Jamaal Lascelles in defence and scored in the 6-0 victory at Queens Park Rangers last week but was replaced by Chancel Mbemba for the match at the weekend. The Congolese international however scored an own goal on his return to the starting eleven but Clark backs Benitez to make the right decisions in order to keep player’s fit and firing. He told the Shields Gazette:
“I think all the lads have bought into it. That’s what the manager does. There’s a lot of competition for places. I think we all know that if you haven’t been picked, it’s probably not for the reason you haven’t done well, it’s probably for the reason to get fresh legs in there and keep you fresh for the next game. In the long term, that will help us in our bid for promotion. “It’s good to have a big squad and to have quality players fighting for spots in the team. Everyone fully understands it.”
Aleksandar Mitrovic was also replaced for the match against Wolves despite also scoring against QPR. It will be interesting to see how Benitez responds in upcoming league matches. Will he try to keep a more settled side in order to get a consistent string of results or will he keep to a rotation policy in order to manage fitness?
