Sky Sports pundits Paul Merson and Phil Thompson have been drooling over the talents of Newcastle United’s Matt Ritchie with the former left surprised he is always being brought off by manager Rafael Benitez.
The Scottish winger has been a mainstay for the Magpies this season, having missed just one game, and has been integral to their recent rise in form, contributing a match-winning assist in the victory over Burnley.
Speaking about the 29-year-old, Merson said that despite his shocking miss against the Clarets, which would have made the score 3-1 for Newcastle, Ritchie is still a crucial a member of the squad, with Thompson raving over his work ethic.
The former Arsenal man said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday (14:00, 01/12): “People miss chances, he won’t be the last. I think he’s an important player for these. That’s a great ball (for Clark’s goal v Burnley), all the pace is on the ball, all he’s got to do is guide it in.
“It always surprises me later on in games who gets ripped off, especially at home. I think he’s a good player, gives his all every week and I think he’s a good asset for Newcastle.
Phil Thompson added on Sky Sports: “I totally agree – the other side of it is that he doesn’t pace himself in games. He goes for it and you look at him and go: ‘My goodness.’ He plays wing back, he plays left sided, he tracks back – the number of times you see him in the box and you’re going: ‘Wow.’
“His work rate is immense and the Newcastle fans love him for it. Sometimes he doesn’t have the best game but you can never ever doubt his passion and commitment.”
Opinion
There is no doubting that Ritchie is one of, if not the, hardest workers at St James’ Park right now and the way he continues to run and run for as long as he is on the pitch is why manager Rafael Benitez loves him. However, as much as he would like to claim it, the winger is not the Duracell bunny and cannot keep going forever, which is likely the reason why he finds himself hooked off so often. If he could just manage his energy levels for the 90 minutes then he might be able to finish a game – but that is not the Scot’s approach at all. He wants to throw himself into things and that should be applauded rather than criticised. It does mean that Benitez does sort of have no choice as to who he brings off for one of his three substitutes but the Spaniard will be hoping by the time Ritchie does come off he has made the desired impact.