Rafa throws in Toon kids
RAFA BENITEZ is ready to send out a weakened team in the Carabao Cup tonight after saying he does not have the resources for Newcastle to seriously attack the competition.
Benitez was left frustrated at the Magpies’ summer transfer business despite improving his squad.
Newcastle head to Nottingham Forest for a tie sandwiched between Premier League dates with Chelsea and Manchester City.
And manager Benitez thinks he has little choice but to field youngsters such as Jamie Sterry, 22, and Sean Longstaff, 20, as well as rest several key men following the 2-1 defeat by Chelsea.
He said: “You have to manage your squad. Depending on the transfer window, your squad is stronger or not. We can win with the players we put on the pitch, but we cannot lie to our fans and pretend this is the most important game of the season.
“My job is to analyse my squad and then decide tactics. When you play top sides, you see the price of any player. Two players for Chelsea in one window will be more expensive than what we spent in our last six windows.”
Kick-off
XHERDAN SHAQIRI hopes his versatility will lead to more opportunities at Liverpool.
Shaqiri, right, has not featured since his substitute appearance in Liverpool’s opening 4-0 win over West Ham. The Swiss star, who joined Jurgen Klopp’s side from Stoke last month, said: “I believe that I can play every position along the frontline and the coach knows that.”
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