Eddie Howe felt that he was unable to name the same team twice in the space of four days during Newcastle United's season-defining cup double.
The Magpies may have bowed out of the FA Cup to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday night but the scenes after the final whistle against Leicester City meant the defeat seemed like a distant memory. Howe insisted he would have struggled to name back to back full strength starting line-ups.
After the game Howe told reporters: "I thought it was going to be difficult for us to play the same team in every game, and that’s obviously why I made changes against Sheffield Wednesday. I felt that team was strong enough to win. Of course, we didn’t.
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"But it was great to get the group together today, and I include Alex and Maxi being back in that. The look of our bench looked very strong tonight."
Newcastle must now turn their attention back to the Premier League on Sunday with the gap being shortened in the race for the top four due to recent draws. Howe said: "Immediately, I’m thinking about our next game. The semi-final can wait.
"We’ll obviously look at who we get, but I think it has to take a back seat. Although there’ll be talk and excitement about it, the Premier League is hugely important to us.
"I don’t see that (focus) as an issue with this team. Just from my experience with them, I don’t think they’ve ever got too high this season. There’s always been a focus on what’s ahead rather than what they’ve achieved."
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