Newcastle United have turned their attention to this weekend’s match against Everton and the Magpies need three specific players to perform on Saturday.
It is crunch time in the Premier League as several teams, including Newcastle United, are still waiting to reserve their place in the Top Flight next season. The Magpies are currently six points above the relegation zone as they sit 14th in the table with 31 points from 29 matches. Newcastle were hoping to extend their impressive run of form last weekend, but West Ham spoiled the party with a 2-0 victory in London.
With only nine matches remaining this season, Rafa Benitez must convince his men to play with amnesia as they prepare for Everton, a side which occupies the final spot in the top ten. Newcastle managed to earn a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park back in December, but now the Magpies need three points at St. James’ Park. Collective effort and unity is obviously crucial for Newcastle, but the club needs these three players to perform at an elite level to have a shot at winning.
Matt Ritchie
Matt Ritchie has been a key player for Newcastle over the last few weeks, and it is remarkable how playing out of position on the back-line has not hindered his performances. The Scottish winger has still had plenty of opportunities to push the ball forward and Newcastle need him to do just that on Saturday.
Ritchie is Newcastle’s most dangerous crosser and he has delivered many accurate balls to Salomon Rondon in the box. Rondon scored from a Jacob Murphy cross last time out against Everton, but now Benitez will be hoping that Ritchie can find Rondon in the box as he did against Watford two months ago.
Miguel Almiron
Miguel Almiron has only faced four Premier League clubs and this means he can be an “X” factor for Newcastle against the nine other teams remaining on the club’s schedule. His pace can cause problems for any back-line. Yes, there are plenty of fast players in England, but it is rare to find a player like Almiron who boasts the same amount of pace with or without the ball at his feet.
Almiron must utilize his quick feet to get into good scoring positions. At times, it is okay to be selfish if you have a good look at goal. The primary reason why Benitez was set on bringing the Paraguayan playmaker to Newcastle is because of his ability to score goals and complete assists. If Newcastle want to boost their odds of winning, Almiron needs to score or set up his teammates on Saturday.
Martin Dubravka
Compared to the rest of the top ten, Everton are not scoring goals in big numbers. They have only scored 39 goals this season, which bodes well for Martin Dubravka, but they are capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Everton have seen 11 different players land on the score sheet this season and two of them, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison, have scored 11 and 10 goals, respectively. Dubravka will surely be tested by these two players and any big saves he makes on Saturday will keep Newcastle in the match.