As Newcastle demolished Fulham on Saturday there was one man who seemed to be at the centre of everything, yet for some reason, I totally overlooked him in my match report.
Joe Willock had what was probably his best game in a Newcastle shirt since he made his switch to St James’ Park a permanent one against Fulham, grabbing two assists and always being a threat going forward.
We all remember the loanee Willock who could do no wrong and almost single-handedly saved us from the drop with his goals in the back half of the 2020/21 season. His performances earning him a £25m move from Arsenal.
Since making the move to the North East a permanent thing, Willock has not been able to replicate the form his showed while on loan. The goals have dried up and the performances haven’t been what we were hoping. While never, bad per-se, he wouldn’t light up the fans like he once did.
Is Willock Improving Under Howe?
Absolutely
Nah. We needed his goals.
That being said, when you take the goals out of the equation, it does look like Willock is becoming a more well-rounded midfielder under Howe. He still wants to get forward as much as possible but isn’t always looking for the goal and will often look to play a striker in. He’s also less likely to shirk defensive responsibilities. Chris and Mark of Ever More did an excellent video on the transformation of Joe Willock which is well worth watching if you want to see all the stats behind the change.
Willock was unlucky to not bag a goal himself on Saturday with Wilson poking his goal-bound header over the line, but that was the first of two assists in that game to go along with shots that troubled Bernd Leno in the Fulham net. If Willock can continue that kind of form alongside Bruno and Joelinton, Shelvey may struggle to get back into the team, despite us thinking recently that we were sorely missingthe former England midfielder.
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