France international Sissoko scored his first goal of the season as second-bottom Newcastle kept their hopes of escaping relegation alive with a vital win.
“I wanted to give Sissoko some confidence,” Benitez said. “We also have a lot of players who talk French and Sissoko has big influence with them. They see him as a big name. So, if he’s performing well, they will follow him.”
Newcastle kept the in-form Gylfi Sigurdsson quiet as Benitez brought defensive midfielder Cheick Tiote into the side, with Jonjo Shelvey dropping to the bench against the team he left in January.
Shelvey, who joined Newcastle in the January transfer window in search of more first-team football, refused to criticise Benitez for dropping him.
“I was a bit surprised and frustrated to be left out against my old club. But I think he (Benitez) knows what he’s doing,” Shelvey said.
Newcastle host third-placed Manchester City on Tuesday knowing a win would lift them out of the relegation places and Shelvey says the team’s new-found confidence can help them get a positive result.
“It’s going to be tough but we’ve got real belief now,” the midfielder added. “City are exceptional but, if we press them high up the pitch, like we did against Swansea, we’ll get chances.”
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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