OPINION
Newcastle United suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to the hands of Tottenham in their season opener, but there are plenty of positives to take into next week’s match against Cardiff City.
One of those positives is striker Joselu, who put in a promising display against Spurs on Saturday afternoon.
The 6″3 [Transfermarkt] hitman netted United’s only goal of the game, glancing a header into the bottom corner in the 11th minute from Matt Ritchie’s cross.
Joselu arguably did not enjoy the most remarkable of seasons last time out, which saw him make 32 appearances in all competitions for the Magpies and only score four goals.
However, he redeemed himself slightly in this match – and boss Rafa Benitez must start him in their next game against Cardiff to unleash his firepower.
The 28-year-old has the ability to be a lethal striker, but he has never really had the support network around him to help him deliver the goods.
Now Benitez has made a number of attacking signings in this summer’s transfer window – including Salomon Rondon, Yoshinori Muto and Kenedy – he definitely has the ammunition to score goals week in, week out.
With such attacking players surrounding him, Joselu now does not have the excuse to fire blanks in front of goal.
He has fierce competition from Muto and Rondon for a spot in the first team line up, and he needs to prove to Benitez quickly that he has what it takes to be his number one choice in the striker department.
The manager must give him the chance to do that by starting him against Cardiff next week, as it means he can also prove to the fans that he can be relied upon despite his disappointing 2017/2018 campaign.
Joselu’s goal may have just attracted the attention he needed to demonstrate how potent he can be, if he has the right players around him.
