It was a slightly strange press conference for the Newcastle boss, with Eddie Howe speaking to the media at the London Stadium after their 5-1 win against West Ham.
Due to the Magpies having two away games in just four days, Eddie Howe and his players have spent the week in the capital to prepare for their game against Brentford.
Four wins on the bounce for Newcastle has seen them rise above Manchester United into third, further strengthening their position in the top four as they push for Champions League football.
Despite this impressive run of form, Eddie Howe indicated in his press conference that he could make changes to his squad.
He said: “I think I’ve got a strong squad, and with three games in six days, I want the players to enter the pitch in the best physical condition possible.
"In my opinion, I’d be foolish not to rotate and trust the team. I trust the squad and the players coming in. I’ve got no doubt about the quality, and we’ve got a lot of games in a short period of time.
"It’s always going to be judged by the result whether the rotation is successful or not, and of course, I want to keep people fit and give them the best chance to play as many games as possible."
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'Wilson and Isak can play together in the same side'
One thing that Newcastle fans will be happy with in recent weeks is that they have started to find the back of the net again, particularly through strikers Callum Wilsonand Alexander Isak.
Although the two do not play up top together, they both have three goals in their last four games, despite tending to swap over around the hour mark.
With two quality strikers fighting for a starting spot in the team, Howe made it clear that he liked having options in that area of the pitch.
He said: "You need goals and I want those options and choices but the players have to understand when they are playing or when they aren't playing.
"Alex [Isak] was excellent about my decision and proved that when he came on and scored. Callum [Wilson] didn't start against Manchester United and Alex played really well, but he came on and scored. It's that competition that hopefully will drive both players on to score.
"As I have said many times, Callum and Alex can play together as well so its not just a case of one or the other, I do see a time and a place where they will be on the pitch at the same time."
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'Saint-Maximin is an integral part to our team'
The Frenchman had a tough start to the season with persistent injuries and Miguel Almiron's performances keeping him out the team.
However, since the Paraguayan's injury, Saint-Maximin has had a run of four starts on the bounce, winning all of them and assisting a couple of goals.
These performances certainly haven't gone unnoticed by his manager as Howe had high praise for his winger.
"I think Maxi has been very focused for a while now and I think he has trained really well first and foremost," Howe said. "He is an integral part of our team because he's something slightly different and no one can do what he does.
"I think the message to him is we just want to see the best Maxi possible. There is loads of things to make that possible but the responsibility is with him and he is really focused on doing well in this moment which is great to see."
