OPINION
Newcastle United midfielder Mohamed Diame has had terrible start to the 2018/19 campaign and it didn’t get any better against Arsenal in his latest outing.
The central midfielder, who earns £45,000-a-week at St James Park (Source: Spotrac), has looked a shadow of the player he appeared to be in the second-half of the 2017/18 season in his first five appearances in this campaign.
Diame hasn’t been able to cover the necessary ground, find his target with his passes or win the battle for the ball in midfield for his side.
The 31-year-old showed glimpses of his talent in the first-half of Saturday’s game against the Gunners but then soon quickly succumbed to submitting a display that he’d rather not relive and fans would rather not have watched.
It’s no coincidence that as soon as Diame’s standards slipped against Unai Emery’s side, they stormed to a 2-0 lead, that eventually ended up seeing them secure a 2-1 win.
Given that the experienced midfielder will no doubt be even more disheartened from his latest display as he appeared to start the game in better form than his previous four outings, it seems he is condemned to continuing to be a liability in the Magpies’ midfield.
However Diame’s downward spiral could be abruptly halted if Shelvey returns to the starting line-up to play alongside him.
The 6ft tall playmaker (Source: Transfermarkt) was an unused substitute against the Gunners after a recent spell in the medical room, but he has what it takes to save his teammate from his downward spiral.
Last season the pairing of Shelvey and Diame was vital to Rafa Benitez’s side retaining their Premier League status as the pair compliment each other perfectly.
Shelvey has a knack for masking his teammate’s flaws and bringing out the best in him which is a testament to his own ability.
If Diame was able to get just one good performance under his belt, which would likely come when playing alongside Shelvey, it could be the confidence boost needed to see him recover last season’s form.
Because as it stands it hard to see Diame’s displays improving and his downward spiral will lead to him hardly featuring.
Therefore Shelvey’s return, which is hopefully imminent, is the only thing that can save Diame from losing his first-team status as at the moment Benitez must be considering axing him.
