OPINION
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez chose to start central midfielder Mohamed Diame over fan favourite Jonjo Shelvey against Bournemouth on Saturday, and it’s safe to say that the Magpies supporters were none too pleased with the decision. You can see where they’re coming from, to be fair, because the former Swansea City man did make a huge impact off the bench against Everton last time out. He only played about 10 or 15 minutes but he was the catalyst for an epic Newcastle turnaround at St James’ Park. You would have thought that after that excellent cameo he would have started here, but Benitez has gone for the safety-first partnership of Diame and Isaac Hayden. They are both solid players in their own right, but you do get the sense that they are both too defensive minded to be playing alongside one another. Shelvey’s attacking impetus would have been a big positive at the Vitality Stadium, but he is still only just returning from injury so perhaps that’s why Benitez left him on the bench.
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