SUPER MAC Success rests on Shelvey today
JONJO SHELVEY holds the key as to how Newcastle United go into the international break.
Either elated by back-to-back victories or brought crashing back down to earth by failing to beat Bournemouth at home.
If Shelvey operates in an attacking role up the park playing in the front men – great.
However, if he falls into old habits and operates between the central defenders then United are in trouble.
He drags the team deep and produces huge gaps between midfield and the front. Jonjo put on a terrific display on his unexpected return to United’s side at West Ham where he scored and starred in a 3-2 victory.
Now he has to do it again. Shelvey can frustrate the life out of me but when he’s at his best his range of passing and his eye are superb.
He can suffer from mood swings but he can also dictate play. What I want from him today is to put the cherry on Newcastle’s cake. Having rid themselves of the jinx of never having scored more than one goal in a match all that is required now is for the front three to start scoring.
Right now they have one goal between them while the central defenders have four – Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez, Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schär have all netted this season.
The cause of United’s trio of attackers can be helped by Shelvey. He has the range of passing to do it. Terry Hibbitt used to know exactly how to use my pace and movement to play me in and Shelvey can do the same.
We want either Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, or Allan Saint Maximin to score in a Magpie win over Bournemouth to send us happily into a fortnight’s break.
United must possess four of the fastest footballers in the PL when it comes to counter attacking – Maximin,
Almiron, DeAndre Yedlin, and Christian Atsu. That pace must not be wasted but utilised to the full.
Bournemouth won’t be easy. They won’t lie down or cave in.
What Eddie Howe has done there is nothing short of amazing. How he has never got Manager of the Year I’ll never know.
The Cherries lived in football’s cellar before Howe came along. He has taken them through the divisions into the top flight where they have lived with the very best for a few seasons now.
What an achievement that is – I used to play against them in the old third division when I was with Luton and we beat them twice. They also lived in the fourth division but now they are established in the Premier League.
Yet consider this: United had only 46,000 for their last home match against Wolves which meant around 6,000 fans were missing – which isn’t far short of Bournemouth’s gate for one of the glamour matches of the season against Manchester United when 10,500 turned up. Crazy isn’t it?