OPINION
Steve Bruce has quickly had to adapt back to the Premier League and Newcastle United.
It was a harsh reintroduction for Bruce, who guided his Magpies’ side to back-to-back defeats, and quickly came into bucket loads of criticism from pundits and fans alike.
The new boss slightly switched from Rafael Benitez’s formation last season – taking an attacking player away and adding them to the heart of midfield.
That change meant that his front two of Joelinton and Miguel Almiron were isolated, and neither scored in the opening fortnight of the campaign.
It looked bleak when the North East club travelled to Tottenham at the weekend, but Bruce reversed his decision and changed to a front-three as Newcastle picked up three points in a 1-0 victory.
Joelinton scored his first for the club in the win, and Almiron impressed massively in the spaces in-and-around the Brazilian.
When giving an injury update ahead of the Watford game on Saturday, as quoted by the Chronicle on their live blog (28/08 10:18 pm), and shared that he hopes the South American duo can influence the result – suggesting the two will lead the line.
“I hope they will win us the game v Watford,” he said.
It is all well and good having faith in your forwards, but Bruce must not get over-reliant on his attacking duo – and expect more from his other options.
Almiron still hasn’t opened his account for Newcastle since joining in January, but he has still excelled in the final third, averaging 1.7 shots on goal according to WhoScored – with the forward surely closing in on his first goals.
Joelinton will be looking to kick on after his first goal for the club and has excelled despite the pressure on his shoulders – averaging 2.3 shots per game as well as completing a single key pass each outing [WhoScored].
Although both have impressed majorly in their newly-formed partnership, Bruce must not replace his faith with an over-reliance on his attacking pairing who can’t win every game for the club this season.
