Newcastle United have had a reasonable campaign so far this season, winning three and losing three of their opening six Premier League matches ahead of this weekend’s crunch tie with Liverpool and the upcoming international break.
Rafael Benitez’ target for his Magpies side is the magic 40 point mark, which should secure their safety from relegation, and points from this weekend’s hosting of Liverpool will certainly go a long way to helping them achieve their goals.
One problem for the Magpies so far has been the inconsistency of their attacking players, with summer signing Joselu scoring just once this season, but former Manchester United defender Danny Higginbotham has highlighted just how important the Spaniard is.
The £5m signing from Stoke City has not scored in the last three Premier League matches, where Aleksandar Mitrovic has been unavailable due to suspension, but Higginbotham has revealed why the Spaniard is so important whilst speaking to Sky Sports.
“It has been a lot to do with Joselu since he has come into the team because he has given them that different focal point going forward. He is the front man. So they are not afraid to go long now. They have got this player they can go up to and the rest of the team can squeeze up and they can get players around him.”
“Matt Ritchie is one of the best crossers of the ball so you are getting balls into the box. Joselu is always going to be there or thereabouts. He doesn’t play on the shoulder with pace, he does it with physicality. What happens with that is that he then creates the areas for players like Ritchie and players like Christian Atsu and Ayoze Perez to get into.”
“All of a sudden these areas become key. Atsu can come and join in, Perez can come and join in and you have got Ritchie who can join in. They can play on the second balls. All of a sudden you have got crosses coming in. It is not necessarily Joselu scoring goals but he is causing problems because of his physical presence.”
“Because they are playing this way it means the other players can also get up the pitch and it is no surprise that in their two most recent wins it was their lowest possession of the season because they did not have to worry about playing out from the back. It was not a fear for them because they have got a player who can hold the ball up.”
