Rafaela Benitez recently came out to defend Miguel Almiron, who hasn’t exactly set the Premier League on fire, at least with regards to goals and assists.
As per Goal, Benitez said: “He is doing OK. I do not see any anxiety just because he is not scoring. He is fine. You talk about (Salomon) Rondon, (Ayoze) Perez and Almiron and they play well together.”
He continued: “Maybe he (Almiron) has more pace going forward causing more problems for defenders, and that is beneficial for Rondon and Ayoze. The team is doing a lot of things with more confidence and we have more chances and then we are more of a threat in attack.”
Certainly, his lack of goals and assists isn’t likely to generate much excitement amongst your average pundit or non-Newcastle supporting fan, but for anyone that’s seen Almiron play, these comments just seem unnecessary.
Despite his lack of impact in the traditional sense, Almiron has been a remarkable signing for Newcastle, and he’s really impressed whenever he’s played.
He’s quick on the ball, he’s direct in the attack, he’s an incredibly hard worker, and he’s really helped us be more fluid going forward.
Has he been perfect? Of course not – but who has? For a player that is in his first season in England and playing for a new team, Almiron’s had a very solid start to life in the Premier League.
Players like Rondon will always get more praise, as they’re the ones finishing the moves, but you can’t have a great goalscorer without a great creator. Almiron is that creator.
Benitiez is always going to defend his players, but he shouldn’t have to. If you know football, you know that Almiron has done enough to have been deemed a success thus far. Even if he isn’t scored regularly.
Thoughts?