Newcastle United: Diame’s tackling ability currently at another level

Newcastle United’s force of nature strikes again.

Newcastle United and manager Rafa Benitez are flying high at the moment, coming off a 2-1 win versus Arsenal on Sunday for a fourth consecutive Premier League victory. Several players contributed to the three points this past weekend in various ways, and the Man of the Match was found in the middle of the Magpies formation.

Mohamed Diame enjoyed an outstanding showing against the Gunners, and truly commanded the midfield throughout the encounter. Flying into tackles and covering acres of space, the 30-year-old helped the Toon to keep possession and stop chances for the opposition.

A club winning four consecutive league matches takes tremendous focus and maximum effort, two characteristics that were on full-display Sunday from Diame at St. James’ Park.

Benitez was able to count on a potent mixture of toughness and skill from his midfielders, as both Diame and Jonjo Shelvey played extremely well.

Shelvey’s long passes helped to open up the Arsenal defence, and he was able to enjoy that freedom in his role thanks to Diame’s non-stop work.

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One can’t help but see the correlation for Newcastle between consistent victories and the Senegalese international’s form.

A strong finish on the way

With Diame delivering with sensational tackles and impressive pace as of late, there is reason to believe that the Toon still have more points to gain before 2017-18 comes to an end.

At one point, it seemed that Mikel Merino was poised to be the starter alongside Shelvey. However, Diame’s commitment to both his own game and to the club have been admirable, and his work-rate is at an exceptional level.

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Newcastle United and Rafa Benitez wanted their players to be at their best for the campaign’s final weeks, and that is exactly what Mohamed Diame is providing.