The Magpies struggled during the busy festive period but their manager has explained his reasoning for tinkering with his team
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has defended his decision to rotate heavily in recent weeks saying that he “doesn’t have players like Lionel Messi”.
The Spaniard has come under fire in recent weeks for making too many changes during the busy festive period when Newcastle failed to pick up a win from any of their five games in 15 days.
Benitez came in for criticism especially for his squad management in the Liverpool game on Boxing Day when the Magpies were beaten 4-0.