JibrinGary Rowett will not hesitate to make tough selection calls after wiping the slate clean for his Leicester City players.
As the Foxes push for the points required to secure their Championship status, Rowett vowed not to choose an eleven based on “people’s perceptions of what they want me to pick”.
Team selection became a hot topic among City supporters following Rowett’s changes on Tuesday night.
Jordan Ayew, who has been met with jeers from the home crowd in recent weeks, was handed a start ahead of Patson Daka up front against Bristol City — despite the Zambian finding the net against Ipswich in the previous outing.
That decision, along with the call to introduce Hamza Choudhury in place of Ricardo Pereira and the choice to leave Divine Mukasa and Jamaal Lascelles on the bench, sparked plenty of frustration when the lineup dropped on Tuesday evening.
But Rowett insists he cannot base his team selections on players’ standing with fans, only on how they perform day in, day out on the training ground.
In the end, his gambles paid off, as City stormed into a 2-0 half-time lead before holding firm to secure their first win in 11 Championship matches.
“That was really simple,” Rowett said, explaining the Ayew-Daka call. “Your natural instinct is to let Pato go again because he scored and he’s been in a confident mood.
“But because we changed to a 4-3-3, that leaves more space for a striker to drop and link and I felt that game would suit Jordan more. Also, Pato’s energy off the bench has a big impact.
“I’m aware sometimes that you can get to this stage of a season and there can be different narratives about different players. But I’m mindful I have to treat every player from new.
“I have to treat them how they are with me and how they’ve worked in training. I think that’s how I’ll pick the team, rather than people’s perceptions of what they want me to pick. That’s important.
“They’re two very different strikers with different profiles, and we’ll have to utilise them in different games.”
Alongside Daka, Rowett also introduced Ricardo, Mukasa and Harry Winks from the bench to help see out the result, with City ensuring they didn’t concede a single shot in the final 25 minutes.
The return of injured players means City now boast a deeper pool of senior options — highlighted by Bade Aluko’s absence from the matchday squad for the first time since November.
“I spoke it about in game one when we had a really young bench,” Rowett said. “We’ve got some really good young players but when the pressure’s on, players that have been there and done it…
“Sometimes it can be a benefit for a young player because they haven’t got the same fear or the same history with this stage of a season.
“But with some of the players we’ve got, having the changes we could make… The last game was an example of that. Being able to bring on some of the players we did changed the feeling of the game.
“Not only did we win but we managed the last period of the game really well. I think that’s down to the ability off the bench.
“Of course you always want to pick your best team and the team that’s going to win the game. But sometimes it’s nice to hold a little something back for the end of the game.
“The players are aware of that, that it’s a squad game, it’s all about winning, and whether you start or whether you come on, it’s equally important. We’ve got some good options in that and I think it will be crucial in these remaining games.”
Jibrin
