Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has told BBC Radio Newcastle the reason in-form winger Matt Ritchie’s was absent from the starting line-up against Rotherham United at the weekend was due to a tactical switch.
The Magpies boss believed the Millers’ full-backs were vulnerable to one-on-one opponents and that it was the perfect time to unleash the pacey winger Christian Atsu:
“We had to decide to leave Ritchie – who is a great player – and play Christian. The staff realised it was the right time to play him against a full-back, isolated one-v-one.”, thanks to quotes sourced from the Shields Gazette.
”It could be a good situation for us. In the end, it was a fantastic situation for us.”
It proved to be an inspired decision after Atsu scored the winning goal for Newcastle four minutes before half-time.
The Ghanaian international, who was signed from Chelsea on loan until the end of the season, hadn’t started a match for the Magpies before his inclusion in the starting eleven for the match at the New York Stadium on Saturday.
After troubled loan spells at Bournemouth and Everton in the last two years, the winger will now be hoping of making his time on Tyneside a successful one.
