Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez believes his one real concern with the Newcastle squad at the moment is keeping everyone happy and motivated. The Spaniard has assembled a talented squad after a summer which saw £55m spent on twelve new players but he is aware that he will need to be diplomatic in how he handles the squad rotation.
Dwight Gayle was left out of the side that faced Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday despite already scoring four goals this season, but his replacement in the side Aleksandar Mitrovic scored at Loftus Road along with his strike partner Ayoze Perez giving Benitez some good selection headaches going into the home encounter against Wolves on Saturday. He told the Shields Gazette:
“Mitrovic did well [against QPR], but so did Ayoze around him and the wingers and defenders. The goalkeeper (Matz Sels) did well too, and everybody who came off the bench. Everybody is pushing, and to have this problem of Mitrovic, Ayoze, Gayle or (Daryl) Murphy is a good problem every game. It is not easy to keep everybody happy. Hopefully, we continue winning, and if we have to change players, they will understand it is for the good for the team.”
No doubt having so many talented players pushing for a starting place will be a tremendous benefit going into a long hard league game. Benitez is well aware that despite playing seven games, the Magpies still have another 39 to go and injuries, suspensions and loss of form could all play a part in reducing options in the squad as the season wears on.
