OPINION
Rafa Benitez must truly unleash Newcastle attacker Yoshinori Muto after the international break as he has pinpointed the reason why the 26-year-old has struggled to make a notable impact so far.
The Magpies signed Muto from FSV Mainz in the summer and so far he has made three appearances in the Premier League with his total playing time equalling 45 minutes.
Benitez was asked for his thoughts on Muto in a recent interview and shared that he thought the player was struggling to make an positive impression as he was not being deployed in his ideal position.
“I think he’s a striker,” stated Benitez after being asked about Muto’s start to life at St James Park, according to the Northern Echo.
“We are missing a couple of positions and he can play those so he has had to play in those.
“To be fair, he has been unlucky because when he went on at Cardiff, we had to change the system and he had to go as a midfielder, and against Chelsea when we put him on the pitch, we changed to 4-1-4-1 at the end, so he had to go back too.
“He was not playing in his ideal position in the games he has played.”
Given that Benitez has opted to play in a defensive formation when playing with the higher-profile sides in the Premier League, he should look to adapt his plans and stance when his side return to action to play Arsenal.
The Magpies manager must look to play two upfront against the Gunners as they have looked defensively vulnerable by conceding eight in their first four league games and Benitez should look to expose their defensive vulnerability.
It’s clear that as Muto is a hard working player who gets himself around the pitch quickly in order to cover a lot of ground that he could be a constant nuisance for the Magpies’ opponents this season.
However for that to be the case as Benitez admits the attacker needs to be playing in his best position for the club to get the best out of him, which means the managerial genius should start him up front against the Gunners.
With the London club being defensively weak it’s very possible that Muto could get a confidence boosting goal that will act as a shot in the arm for his Magpies career in order to get it kick-started.
Therefore Benitez must unleash the 26-year-old forward by adapting his plans for the upcoming clash against the Gunners especially after stating that the reason the recent recruit has struggled is due to being played out of position.
