It’s fair to say that the arrival of Eddie Howe has heralded in a change of fortune for Joelinton Cássio Apolinário de Lira, the man more commonly known as just Joelinton.
Gone are his days of playing out wide or up top under Bruce; Joelinton has made a new home for himself in Howe’s midfielder three – and it’s in this position where the Brazilian has begun to earn rave reviews for his industry, immense physicality and defensive capabilities.
The sheer success of this positional transformation is illustrated best by a stat tweeted by WhoScored.com yesterday.
Of players who’ve started more than 5 games in midfielder this season, Joelinton makes the most tackles on average per game of any player in the Premier League!
This in itself is an impressive stat, but the point is really driven home by the numbers. While 2nd and 3rd place Naby Keita and Yves Bissouma make 3.7 and 3.6 tackles per game respectively, Joelinton dwarfs that number, making an astounding 4.5 tackles per match on average.
It’s a number that, while hardly surprising for anyone who’s watched him fling himself into every 50/50 since he first arrived on Tyneside, still takes a moment to be believed. 4.5 tackles per game. That’s the kind of effort and dedication to the cause that every manager dreams of.
Let’s see if the big Brazilian can maintain his numbers as Newcastle host Aston Villa this coming Sunday.
I’m pretty sure Vruce moved him into midfield before Howe arrived.
Daveys **** mate(Quote)
Really, since when was making a tackle impressive? I could make 20 tackles a game…
Carsten(Quote)
Funnily enough, it just goes to show what useless managers we’ve had previously. Since Eddie took over, he’s looking a bargain at £40m. The one good thing left from the Ashley era.
Ed(Quote)
St Maximin was Ashley era
Andy Mackenzie(Quote)