It has become very apparent in only 179 minutes of Premier League football the impact that Miguel Almir’n’s arrival has had on Rafa Ben’tez’s Newcastle United.
Many will talk about his searing pace allowing him to drive at and get in behind defences, while others will look at his ability to create meaningful chances with his penetrating attacking passes.
All of those people are right.
While players like Christian Atsu will obviously suffer from the Paraguayan’s arrival, the benefits for Ayoze P’rez and Salom’n Rond’n are already very evident.
For the former, Almir’n’s addition has relieved the pressure on the Spaniard who has almost been a sole creator without Jonjo Shelvey in the team and with Matt Ritchie reverting to a more defensive role. The new signing created six chances on his home debut alone, more than any Newcastle player in a single game since the start of last season.
But the two elements of Miggy’s presence I believe Ben’tez is most excited about are both his work ethic and the rare luxury of balance his No. 24 provides in this new-look attacking spearhead.
The balance the team possesses now is fundamentally more important than the actual chances the team seems capable of creating now. Obviously, the two follow each other, with effective chances coming from hard work, team cohesion and natural chemistry.
With Atsu in the same position Almir’n is now flourishing in, we struggled to create much from the left forward area, heavily relying on Ritchie bombing forward 50 yards from his left wing-back berth. Now we can happily look to either flank and the responsibility for creating chances is shared.
We suddenly have a mirrored formation, a beautiful symmetry borne out of the chaos of a patchwork quilt squad built from free transfers, release clauses and reserve players.
Another sub-plot arising out of the development of our 5-4-1 formation, which has now been cemented as Rafa’s preferred strategy this season, is the support and balance both Yedlin and Ritchie provide when the team is looking to breach the lines into the final third.
So with the team looking the most balanced it has been in years, and this includes the back three central defenders too, the work rate the front three offer is another key element of Rafa’s recent success.
Not only is Almir’n matching Ayoze P’rez’s creativity and intelligence on the inside left, he is matching the Spaniard’s incessant high pressing ‘ a hallmark of Ben’tez’s defensive strategy which begins in the attacking third.
As mentioned in a previous True Faith article, the playmaker is far from a luxury player and has already shown the work rate expected by a Rafa Ben’tez player and his rapidity allows him to cover a significant amount of distance putting defenders under pressure, forcing errors and hurried releases.
This takes us back to that beautiful notion of balance once again.
With the bulk of the high-pressing donkey work being shared between Almir’n and P’rez, this frees up our Venezuelan warrior Rond’n to concentrate on aspects of play that are more natural to him, such as his crucial hold up play and his willingness to fully grapple and be fully grappled by various Premier League centre backs.
It’s no secret how vital Rond’n is to our entire shape and strategy. Joselu is a professional and a hard worker, but the differences in their respective ability levels are very stark. So the incentive to maintain the fitness of the No. 9 is obviously incredibly high.
With the two attacking midfielders being able to not just press, but to do so intelligently and read the play well is an attribute I don’t believe the albeit hard-working Atsu possesses. This balanced work rate behind the central striker will undoubtedly preserve him further in the closing months of the season, allowing him to thrive in his physical battles and feed off the additional creativity around him.
It is a perfectly-blended attacking triumvirate of which we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. And it is a very, very exciting proposition to imagine the damage they could inflict on unsuspecting Premier League defences until the season finale at Craven Cottage. This chemistry we’ve all witnessed only further goes to stress the importance of signing Salom’n Rond’n permanently this summer.
‘The Three Amigos’ have been unleashed and I’m almost certainly convinced there is no stopping them.
By Adam Widdrington – @AddingRandomWit
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