Miguel Almiron is bringing the best out of Ayoze Perez

Newcastle United have been in attack mode over the last few weeks and it is all because of the chemistry between Miguel Almiron and Ayoze Perez.

When Newcastle United signed Miguel Almiron in January for a record transfer fee, most pundits assumed that the attacking midfielder would replace Ayoze Perez in the lineup. We at Newcastle Toons even thought Perez would be handed a new role as a super-sub for the Magpies.

Rafa Benitez has put our initial assumptions to rest over the last few weeks as the Spaniard has played Almiron and Perez together. Newcastle were heavily dependent on the 4-2-3-1 and 5-4-1 formations since last season, but now the Toon are playing with an attacking 3-4-3 setup.

Almiron, who lit up Major League Soccer with 22 goals and 28 assists in 62 games, is yet to score for Newcastle, but he has had a meaningful impact for the Toon. Almiron is constantly looking to set up his teammates and Perez has benefited from this.

The Resurgence of Ayoze Perez

As many of you may have noticed, Perez has been showcasing a new celebration after he scores his goals. The 25-year-old runs to the corner of the pitch, looks up and sticks two fingers in his ears. The whole reason for this is because of the criticism he received for his poor form in the first half of the season.

At first, that celebration was just silly because one or two goals here and there are not enough to silence critics. However, things have changed now as Perez is only two goals shy of reaching Salomon Rondon’s impressive tally of eight goals. Perez has scored six goals and bagged two assists this season.

Prior to Almiron’s arrival, Perez only had three goals to his name, but his numbers have doubled in the last few weeks and there is still plenty of time for Perez to break into double figures for the first time in his Premier League career. With Almiron on the wing, the Paraguayan’s first instinct is to look for others in the penalty area. His pace forces defenders to chase him and this leaves gaps in critical areas near the goal which Rondon and Perez run into.

Moreover, Benitez could easily play Almiron in his traditional number ten role, but Perez’s fear of losing his starting job has motivated him to play better. In addition to scoring more goals, Perez looks more active on the pitch and plays with more urgency. It will be exciting to see how many goals he can score by mid-May and if he can set Almiron up for his first goal with the Magpies.