OPINION
Rafa Benitez must axe Newcastle attacker Ayoze Perez after his woeful display against Arsenal as it’s clear he’s coasting through games.
The 25-year-old, who earns £45,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac) has not missed a minute of the Magpies’ last two league games and he makes no effort to address the weaknesses in his performances.
Perez will cover a lot of ground for his side in order to appear that he’s trying his best, but due to getting away without being relied upon for goals or assists for so long, he simply coasts in game and doesn’t try to mix up his playing style in order to aid his side’s cause.
It has started to become unacceptable as while his hardwork is appreciated in someways, the Magpies need players who can be potential match-winners for them and after delivering average or below par performances for a while, Perez doesn’t look like he is going to be able to guide them forward.
The attacker may have ended last season as the club’s top goalscorer after a flurry of goals near the end of the campaign, but that was more a damning indictment of how awful every other forward was at the Magpies.
While Perez might not have it in him to be clinical finisher, which is understandable, he doesn’t do enough which suggests he’s learning from his failings and trying to evolve.
For example during the 2-1 defeat to the Gunners, it was the same old story for Perez as he constantly tried to outsmart his opponents in the same way every time, which made them wise to his moves and able to stop him with ease.
It’s frustrating to watch as you feel if the 25-year-old had the desire to improve then he would simply try something fresh and would no doubt benefit from doing so.
However perhaps due to knowing there’s not tons of in-form competition breathing down his neck for a place in Benitez’s starting line-up, he simply coasts to his usual disappointing displays and it’s not good enough.
The Magpies need to start racking up points sooner rather than later and have a golden opportunity to do so in their next league match against Crystal Palace.
Therefore Benitez must axe Perez following his particularly disappointing performance against the Gunners and his past track record as he needs players willing to improve and go the extra mile against Roy Hodgson’s side, not ones content to coast in games by resting on their laurels.
