Paraguay manager Eduardo Berizzo has heaped praise on Miguel Almiron, calling the Newcastle United man a “footballing leader”.
The 24-year-old featured in his nation’s 1-0 defeat to Peru on Saturday, but Berizzo has still seen fit to sing his praises.
As quoted in the Chronicle (14.03), he said: “Miguel Almiron showed his talent in MLS and that allowed him to go to a strong league like the Premier League.
“Miguel is a footballing leader for Paraguay.
“I hope he keeps up his form and can become as important to Newcastle as he was at Atlanta.”
OPINION
Of all the plaudits and qualities that have been lavished on Miguel Almiron since he made his move to England in January, “footballing leader” is a new one. The 24-year-old has taken games by the scruff of the neck, sure, but in terms of rallying a side or anything you would typically associate with leadership, it doesn’t seem in his make up. That being said, South America has such a different cultural approach to football compared to the English game, and it’s not uncommon for their leaders to be the player who can take a ball and drag his team 60 yards up the field with a mazy run. He may come across as relatively timid, but Almiron has shown on more than one occasion already that he has plenty of grit and moxie. Every time he is scythed down he seems to get up doubly determined, and that kind of spirit is something that Newcastle have been crying out for for some time. The Paraguayan may not be a conventional, bruising leader, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t still make the same impact as one.
