Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon has defended Rafa Benitez after the manager was heavily criticised for his defensive tactics against Chelsea on Sunday, according to a report on the Telegraph.
Rondon started the match and was given just over an hour by Benitez before being replaced by Joselu, who ended up scoring for the Magpies as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at St James’ Park.
Benitez came under scrutiny for playing very defensively against an unbeaten Chelsea side, but Rondon believes that they still had enough chances to cause an upset.
He said:
Yeah, we played defensively, and the possession was 81 per cent to them. But we still created chances.
We played really well in the first 45 minutes and after that, we conceded a penalty and lost the game. But we have to look at the best moments for us.
Our schedule is difficult now. We will have played the big five in the league early but we try to do our best and get some points.
At home, you have to try for three points but teams like Chelsea and Tottenham will make it difficult.
Rondon reportedly wants to make his move from West Brom permanent and he is still searching for his first goal for the Magpies.
