Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon scored again at the weekend, in Rafael Benitez’s side’s match with Watford.
Rafael Benitez’s decision to take Salomon Rondon out of Newcastle United’s team against Liverpool now looks bizarre.
Rondon was dropped to the bench for Newcastle’s match against Liverpool on Boxing Day, in a surprise switch from Benitez.
The change was thought to be made, as Benitez wanted to protect Newcastle’s main goalscoring threat.
However, the Spanish boss has now suggested that Rondon wasn’t taken out of Newcastle’s team for fitness reasons.
“No [Rondon was not rested at Liverpool ready for Watford]; I was trying to win on the pitch against Liverpool and to give us fresh legs with a gameplan that I thought we could do well with,” he said.
“I think we did well until the ‘soft penalty’, which changed everything.”
The decision now looks baffling as Newcastle would surely have posed more a threat with Rondon up-front than Joselu at Anfield.
Rondon scored for Newcastle in their 1-1 draw with Watford on Saturday, and is clearly Benitez’s side’s best goalscorer.
And although his inclusion would unlikely have turned the game in Newcastle’s favour, considering they lost 4-0 to Liverpool, Benitez may feel he made an error of judgement by picking Joselu ahead of him.
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