Saint-maximin had a ‘quiet game’ but
NEWCASTLE United showed during their 4-2 win over Leicester City that accusations they are a one-man team aren’t all that fair – as Allan Saint-maximin had a quiet game by his own standards.
The suggestion that Newcastle are weaker without Saint-maximin is an easy case to put forward, with the Magpies winning only 15% of games this season when the Frenchman hasn’t featured, compared to 36% when he has – but against Leicester, other players stepped up.
That’s not to say Saint-maximin had a bad game but rather the reliance on him to create something wasn’t as heavy as it has been in previous games such as Burnley, West Ham or Liverpool.
Last week in the two-nil defeat to Arsenal, United were lacklustre and Saint-maximin failed to hit the standard he’d set in the weeks before, and United suffered because of it.
Against Leicester, the Frenchman didn’t dazzle or grab man of the match – instead, the likes of Callum Wilson and Joe Willock grabbed the headlines as both scored, with Paul Dummett also grabbing one.
Yet for all Saint-maximin was quiet, he still played a vital, albeit perhaps an unsung role in ensuring Newcastle grabbed the three points that should see them safe from the drop.
The Frenchman could have opened the scoring after finding himself unmarked in the Leicester City box early in the first half, only to force Kasper Schmeichel into a fine save.
That – if you’re speaking of big moments – was all Saint-maximin did, but dig a little deeper and you see his role and production was much more.
The stats show that Saint-maximin:
l Had a 100% success rate with his long-ball passes.
l Completed four out of five of his attempted dribbles.
l Had the highest pass completion
rate with 83% (20/24). l Won five out of his eight ground duels.
The role he’s been afforded at the moment allows him to roam and his pace and trickery means defenders are wary of the danger he can do, especially on the counter-attack which is where Newcastle hurt Leicester City the most.
For example, for Wilson’s second goal, Saint-maximin was well behind but his presence was enough to cause issues, with the three defenders torn on how best to deal with the counter, which in the end Wilson tapped home at the second time of asking. In many ways, it shows a mature side of Saint-maximin to dig in, do the work that doesn’t grab the headlines and allow others to step up – it’s only because of the high standards he set that we recognise what was a fine display as a quiet one by his own standards.
The fact that he played a vital – yet unsung role – in such an important victory and against such a good side is most certainly a positive for Steve Bruce and Newcastle going forward.
A quiet day for Saint-maximin often spells trouble for Newcastle but, at the King Power, it didn’t matter too much.