Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez says the decision to drop playmaker Juan Mata to the bench for the dour 0-0 draw with Fulham on Wednesday was simply to give him a rest, and he will do the same with other players.
Benitez has had a tough introduction from the Chelsea fans since replacing popular Champions League winner Roberto Di Matteo a little over a week ago, and dropping Mata, who has scored four goals and set up another six in 12 Premier League appearances this season, for Ryan Bertrand did not go down well with the Stamford Bridge faithful.
However, speaking to reporters ahead of tomorrow's Premier League trip to West Ham United (1245 GMT), Benitez said he wanted to rotate the squad to keep players fit and fresh.
"My idea is to use the squad, we have too many players playing almost every game, so we have 11 or 12 playing almost every game, and the other players didn't have too many minutes," the Spaniard said on Friday.
"So we will try to fix this, you cannot play two, three games in eight days and be fully fit.
"You lose some pace, you lose some energy, so you manage the squad, we have quality, so you can manage the squad and give some minutes to every player,...
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