Newcastle United

Newcastle United: Lee Ryder praises Joelinton display

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Image for Newcastle United: Lee Ryder praises Joelinton display

Despite all the attention being on Bruno Guimaraes’ performance in Newcastle’s epic win against Wolves, another star in the engine room was worthy of similar praise, according to journalist Lee Ryder. 

The Magpies have once again edged closer to safety after their impressive 1-0 victory over Wolves on Friday night. The win sees the club move up to 14th in the table and 10 points ahead of the drop with only seven games left to go.

The win has given the club a huge boost in their fight as they have a tough run-in, with the Magpies set to face Leicester City, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal before the end of the season, so finding points wherever they can is more than essential for Howe and his men.

Howe’s side picked up the win at a crucial time, coming off a three-game losing streak which almost pulled them back into the relegation battle they did so well to escape from just months ago. Striker Chris Wood picked up the only goal of the game after slotting away a penalty in the 72nd minute, but he was far from the hero of the game.

Forward-turned-midfielder Joelinton has shone for Newcastle since his retreat from the frontline to the engine room under Howe and impressed again against Wolves. He stayed cool in the heart of midfield and stifled chances for the visitors as well as putting Wood through on goal with a ‘slick’ pass that ended with their penalty shout, earning him a 9/10 for his performance from Ryder, who compiled his match ratings following the victory at St James’ Park for ChronicleLive.

TIF Thoughts on Joelinton’s performance…

The Brazilian had a tough time settling in the Premier League after his big-money move from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in July 2019. He failed to impress leading the line for Newcastle in his first two seasons, scoring only two and four in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 Premier League campaigns respectively.

However, since the arrival of Callum Wilson, and more recently, former Burnley striker Wood, Joelinton has moved into an attacking-midfield role and shone for Howe’s team.

While he still lacks goals in his game, only scoring two in 28 league games so far this term, he has developed other parts of his game which have made him undroppable for the Magpies. According to WhoScored, Joelinton is averaging 2.2 tackles per game, as well as 0.9 interceptions and 1.3 clearances in all competitions, showing he does the gritty defensive work as well as the attacking side of things.

On the attacking side of the ball, he has put up 1.3 shots per game with 0.9 key passes and 1.1 successful dribbles, while averaging a 76.6% pass accuracy and 0.8 long balls per match.

There is still a lot for Joelinton to work on to make that next step and keep his place in a Newcastle side that will surely spend big once again in the next transfer window, but if he continues to grow and improves his passing and chance creation, there is no reason why he wouldn’t stay as a regular fixture on Howe’s teamsheet.

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