Howe could unleash £88k-p/w Newcastle ace in new role by ditching Almiron

Liverpool have yet to lose a game at Anfield and have dropped points in all but two home matches this season. Up next to face the Chaser, a wounded and bruised Newcastle United, hoping to avoid a catastrophic seventh defeat in eight games.

The Magpies have been on a dismal run of form and have lost six matches since the beginning of December, including four in the Premier League. The Geordie outfit are conceding too many goals and scoring too few but now face the toughest test of all.

If head coach Eddie Howe is to get a result on Merseyside, changes will need to be made to the starting lineup that was demolished by Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.

Miguel Almiron’s performance in numbers

It’s no secret that Newcastle United have endured an agonising injury crisis this season, particularly in the forward areas. As a result, Howe has been forced to stick with Miguel Almiron despite the Paraguayan’s below-par performances in recent weeks, and Tuesday’s home defeat to Forest was no different.

The 29-year-old has scored two goals and registered one assist in his last 20 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle, a dismal run of form which includes just one goal and no assists in his previous nine outings despite starting in every single one of those fixtures.

On Boxing Day, Almiron posed very little goal threat despite Newcastle dominating the game with 62% of the possession. The winger recorded a measly xG of merely 0.06 in total and whipped in only one successful cross throughout the match before being replaced in the 55th minute. Furthermore, Chronicle Live handed the attacker a match rating of 3/10 for his efforts.

Anthony Gordon on the opposite side wasn’t a greater help either. The £45m January signing failed to create a single chance for his teammates, lost 75% of his attempted dribbles and all five of his crosses met a Nottingham Forest head.

Howe needs to get more from his wide players. Rita Mae Brown once famously said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The manager cannot persevere with the lack of output from his wingers and one glaringly obvious solution to the problem may be staring him directly in the face.

Joelinton’s stats at Newcastle

Joelinton has become a mainstay in the middle of the park ever since Eddie Howe converted the struggling striker into a boisterous box-to-box midfielder. However, the Brazilian could be the answer to Howe’s problem on the flanks.

Gordon has struggled in recent months on the left wing. While only Kieran Trippier has managed to grab more assists for Newcastle this term than Gordon, the ex-Everton attacker has bagged just one in his last nine appearances in all competitions.

His style of squaring up the fullback, cutting inside on his right and whipping it into the box has become too predictable for Premier League fullbacks. Perhaps a change in scenery over on the right in place of Almiron is just what Gordon needs to kick back into gear. In fact, Gordon has tallied seven goals and three assists in 44 appearances on the right wing throughout his career so far.

This could leave Joelinton available to play on the left. The £88k-per-week star is no stranger to this position either, having played as a winger 32 times during his time as a professional footballer, recording five goals and two assists in the process. However, this season has only seen him fielded in that role on three occasions; a rarity indeed.

Furthermore, Joelinton has even managed two more assists than Almiron in all competitions this season and currently boasts better attacking and defensive metrics than the out-of-form wide player.

Joelinton’s defensive output will especially be the key for the Magpies at Anfield as the former Hoffenheim forward will be tasked with nullifying Trent Alexander-Arnold’s attacking threat on that side.

Newcastle may not have many chances in this game so having a player who excels defensively but has creative nous to go along with it will be vital for Howe’s side to come away with at least a point.