Rafa Benitez was seemingly concerned about the balance of the Newcastle United team if Jonjo Shelvey and Mikel Merino started alongside each other.
The Chronicle reported in the build-up to Newcastle’s clash with Liverpool on Sunday that Rafa Benitez had some concerns about starting Mikel Merino and Jonjo Shelvey alongside each other in the middle of the park as he feared what it would do to the balance of the team.
Merino has arguably been the most impressive of all of the Magpies’ summer signings, while Shelvey, at his best, is a brilliant player that many Premier League sides would surely love to have.
Nevertheless, in comments reported by the Chronicle, Benitez suggested that getting Shelvey and Merino playing alongside each other may not be as simple as it would appear on paper, seemingly hinting that the Magpies may have the kind of enigma that plagued England for years while Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were in their primes.
But Newcastle’s draw with Liverpool on Sunday has surely alleviated any concerns Benitez had about the prospect of starting Merino and Shelvey together in the middle of the park.
It may not have been the ideal performance, but considering that the pair had not started together beforehand, it was an extremely encouraging display as they helped keep one of the most frightening attacks in the league fairly quiet, with only a stunning long-range finish from Philippe Coutinho beating Rob Elliot.
And, of course, it was Shelvey’s brilliant pass that led to Newcastle’s equaliser as he showed the vision to pick out Joselu. So while Benitez may have previously been concerned about whether pairing Shelvey and Merino together would have hurt the side, the early signs suggest that their partnership has the potential to help the Magpies build on their promising start to the season.
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