According to Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas, Miguel Almiron can be ‘the difference’ for Steve Bruce’s Newcastle side – but he’s been slightly less complimentary about Allan Saint-Maximin.
Nicholas accepts that the Frenchman can also be a ‘game changer’, but feels his ‘unpredictability’ means he’ll often ‘beat four players’….only to then ‘miss from two yards’.
As he says below, it’s hard to work him out – which is one of the reasons Premier League full-backs struggle to contain him – but I don’t think he’s been allowed to get into enough goalscoring positions this season for people to say he’s a bad finisher!
Here’s what he’s had to say during his latest piece for Sky Sports:
“Newcastle are safe, the win last week will get them there with three or four more points I think.
“Miguel Almiron can be the difference, while Allan Saint-Maximin is unpredictable but also a game changer.
“Saint-Maximin can beat four players and miss from two yards.
“How can you work him out?
“He can be frustrated with not hitting the goal but he is so positive and the fans love him.
“What will he do next?
“They have something in their team which means they can get things done.“
His record so far of 3 goals and 4 assists in 18 starts for the club may seem a little underwhelming, but he’***** the woodwork three times, had some spectacular near misses, scores some stunners and created more chances from open play than any other Newcastle United player.
Yes his final ball needs work, but he’s no Gabriel Obertain or Adama Traore from a few years ago.
Get him into good positions more regularly (via playing higher up the pitch in this 4-2-3-1 formation) and I’m sure we’ll soon see his goal/assist numbers go up.
After all, it was pretty hard for him to get close to the goal when most of his dazzling runs had been starting from his own half!