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Newcastle United: Expectations for Jonjo Shelvey next season

By Durim Halimi

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Newcastle player Jonjo Shelvey in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on January 20, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Newcastle player Jonjo Shelvey in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on January 20, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
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The 2018-19 Premier League campaign is just around the corner and Jonjo Shelvey will be expected to lead the midfield.

Newcastle United will host Tottenham at St. James’ Park in five weeks to start the 2018-19 Premier League campaign. The Magpies will be tasked with the challenge of maintaining their positive form from last season. The only way for that success to be replicated is if Newcastle’s main players lead the way for the club.

Jonjo Shelvey played extremely well for the Magpies between January and May last season. The general expectation for Shelvey will be to maintain that positive form all season and to serve the club as the secondary captain on the field.

Key Coordinator

The main expectation for Jonjo Shelvey will be to maintain his role as the offensive coordinator for the Magpies. Shelvey was absolutely stellar in the second half of the season with his smart and accurate passes to the front-line and wings.

Last season, Shelvey was the main man for Rafa Benitez in midfield as he completed over 1,300 passes and averaged 46 passes per match. Moreover, Shelvey did his best to alter the tempo in matches by creating unexpected counter-attacks with his long ball passes. In total, Shelvey successfully completed 157 long balls in his 30 appearances for the club.

Vocal Leader

Jamaal Lascelles is the official captain of the club, but Shelvey will be expected to showcase more discipline and leadership traits in midfield. Shelvey disappointed Benitez and the Toon Army with his poor discipline early in the 2017-18 campaign. His poor discipline and excessive aggressiveness led to a few suspensions, which is why he only played in 30 matches.

If Newcastle wish to emulate and exceed their success from last season, Shelvey needs to maintain his composure and become the voice of the midfield. In other words, Shelvey will need to find ways to motivate those around him and call out players on mistakes to mitigate unforced errors.

Preview: 2018-19 Statistics

Newcastle will have a difficult season, especially their first eight matches, but I expect Shelvey to play even better than he did last season. If Shelvey can maintain his composure, he will have more opportunities to facilitate and coordinate Newcastle’s attack. Overall, here are some statistics that I predict Shelvey will achieve next season:

  • Goals: Four
  • Assists: Eight
  • Total Passes: 2,200
  • Passes Per Match: 57