Ayoze Pérez shines for Newcastle United and Benitez

Ayoze Perez made his 100th Premier League appearance for Newcastle United against Leicester, the most of any current player at the club.

Perhaps Newcastle United’s most polarising player, Ayoze Perez has answered critics in recent weeks with vital contributions towards the Toon’s quest for Premier League survival.

Before the end of December he had managed only one goal and one assist in 19 appearances, a dismal tally that matched a poor run of form for Newcastle United in the run-up to the new year. Guilty of being wasteful in possession, his main asset has always been tireless defensive work, but it seemed that Rafa Benitez would need more out of his countryman if his side were to avoid relegation.

Beginning with scoring the winner over Stoke in a 1-0 victory on January 1st, the new year saw a more focused Perez – only five days later he would double his season’s tally with two goals in the 3-1 FA Cup victory over Luton. The rest of January was less eventful, but an uptick in form warranted more consistent minutes as Benitez began to experiment less tactically, favouring Perez in his natural position behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

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It’s in these consistent minutes that Perez has found his feet. Notching an assist in both draws against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, the Spaniard has been one of the Toon’s only creative outlets alongside Jonjo Shelvey.

Newcastle have been poor in the attack this season, but Perez is not the main culprit to blame. In his position, he is expected to drop deep when defending but also be one of the furthest forward in attack, and this often results in him over-dribbling or rushing a forward pass.

When Newcastle United have needed it the most, however, Perez has answered the call.

Facing fellow strugglers Huddersfield on March 31st, the game looked to be another disappointing draw for Newcastle. Numerous chances had been wasted, and Perez in particular was having a poor game.

Yet, in the 80th minute, Christian Atsu’s far-post cross fell to Kenedy in the Huddersfield penalty area, and it was Perez who had the presence of mind to make a late run into the box. Kenedy complemented this heads-up play with a pass back across goal and Perez made no mistake, finishing off the chance to secure a crucial three points.

If fans were left still unconvinced, then the trip to Leicester the following week would be the perfect opportunity for Ayoze to redeem himself. The reverse fixture in December saw Newcastle lose 3-2 at St. James Park, and it was an 87th-minute own-goal from Perez that sealed the defeat.

Revenge was swift. In the 18th minute, Perez picked up a good pass from Dwight Gayle on the counter-attack, and drove into the open space on the left wing towards Leicester’s penalty area. In drawing two Leicester defenders out of position, a quick turn allowed him to look up and find Shelvey wide open on the edge of the area, who obliged with a nice dummy and finish.

The best was yet to come, however.

In the 75th minute, Florian Lejeune launched a looping clearance deep into the Leicester half. Whilst both Foxes centre-backs Harry Maguire and Wes Morgan were indecisive, Perez was alive to the opportunity and showed little fatigue in chasing down the long ball. Morgan, the closest to the ball, was unsighted by the run of the Newcastle player, and committed a fatal defensive error in letting the ball bounce over his head.

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With Morgan out of the play, Perez could’ve controlled the ball and had a run at the tentative Maguire, who had also misjudged the flight of the ball. But the Spaniard’s confidence was evident, in one quick motion he spotted the Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel off his line, and hit a sumptuous lob with the outside of his boot that dipped perfectly into the net.

Wheeling away in celebration before the ball had even crossed the line, Perez’s goal was the difference in the game as Leicester pulled one back late on, but were not able to prevent Newcastle’s climb to tenth place in the table.

There’s no denying that Ayoze Perez has had his ups and downs during his time at Newcastle, but at only 24 years old, there’s plenty of room to improve. As the most experienced Premier League player in a Newcastle United shirt, another season under the tutelage of Rafa Benitez could see the Spaniard hone a role in the top flight, and with Newcastle all but guaranteed safety, fans should be looking to the long term with this squad.

Perez must work on his passing and try to avoid his tendency to dribble himself into trouble. But these issues can be ironed out when Newcastle address more pressing needs such as signing a striker who can score consistently in the Premier League. This would not only give more opportunities for Perez to supply his team-mates, but also take the pressure off a young player who has dealt with plenty during the past few years.

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Ultimately, no matter what you can say about his overall ability, when Ayoze Perez has scored or assisted in a game this season, Newcastle United have never lost. Numbers don’t lie.