Rafa Benitez claims he did not even know he had done this regarding his Newcastle team selection

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Newcastle United have the strongest squad in the Championship, by quite some distance.

Magpies boss Rafa Benitez named an unchanged side for the first time this season last night, for their 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic, and when speaking to reporters during his post-match press conference, the Spaniard claimed that he was unaware that he had done so, as quoted by the Shields Gazette.

The former Liverpool boss has become renowned within the game for tinkering with his starting line-ups from week to week, and he has lived up to that reputation during his time on Tyneside.

Newcastle United Manager Rafa Benitez

Speaking to the media, Benitez responded when told that the game against the Latics was the first time this season that he had named an unchanged side, as quoted by the Shields Gazette:

“To be fair, I didn’t know it was unchanged. They told me before the game. Normally, I think about the team before the game and that’s it. I don’t have any problem to change players or pick the same team. When you play so many games, you have time for every one.”

Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez

The Spaniard’s decision to name an unchanged side seemed to work, as the Magpies eased to all three points at the DW Stadium, and they now currently sit top of the Championship table, one point clear of second placed Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Tyneside outfit now face a friendly run of fixtures as they head into the new year, with three of their next four fixtures coming against teams inside the bottom nine of the table.