Saved by Miley: Howe must drop Newcastle flop who looks well past his best
da wazamba： Newcastle United booked their place in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Wednesday night with a last-gasp victory over Fulham at St. James’ Park.
da realsbet： In a fairly low-quality affair, with one ‘big chance’ per team (Sofascore), it was the Magpies who edged out their Premier League rivals as they continued their defence of the trophy.
It took a stoppage-time header from Lewis Miley to secure their place in the last four, to cap off a phenomenal performance from the academy graduate in a new role.
The new position that Lewis Miley could thrive in
The injury situation at St. James’ Park forced Eddie Howe to get creative against the Cottagers, and he decided to play Miley as a right-back in the back four.
Usually a central midfielder, the England youth international excelled in his new role and showed that he may even have a future in that position, given how impressive his performance was.
The highlight of his game was, of course, the winning goal as he nodded the ball into the back of the net in the 92nd minute from Sandro Tonali’s brilliant inswinging corner.
However, it was his defensive work that really caught the eye. Per Sofascore, Miley won six of his seven ground duels and four of his five aerial duels, making three tackles and one interception.
This means that, despite not being a natural defender, the English starlet was incredibly dominant defensively and was not a weak link that Fulham could attack, even though he was out of position.
His defensive display proves that it is a position that he could thrive in moving forward, which could come in handy after Tino Livramento came off with a knee injury, and it remains to be seen how serious that will be.
Miley’s Player of the Match performance saved the Magpies from going to penalties or being knocked out, and saved some of the team’s underperformers, including Joe Willock.
Why Joe Willock should be dropped
The English midfielder scored in seven consecutive matches whilst on loan from Arsenal in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign, in what was a phenomenal start to his career on Tyneside.
His impressive form convinced the Magpies to spend £25m to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer of 2021, but he has failed to hit those same heights again since.
Since scoring 11 goals in all competitions for Arsenal and Newcastle combined in the 2020/21 campaign, Willock has failed to produce more than three goals in a single season.
Joe Willock’s Newcastle career
Season
Appearances
Goals
25/26
12
0
24/25
41
2
23/24
14
2
22/23
43
3
21/22
31
2
20/21
31
11
Stats via Sofascore
Willock has been well past his best for several seasons now and his performance against Fulham on Wednesday night was, unfortunately, a typical display.
The former Arsenal man won two of his seven ground duels and lost all three of his aerial duels, per Sofascore, as he failed to make a single tackle or interception in the middle of the park.
On top of his defensive struggles, Willock did not register a single shot on goal and did not create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 72 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, which shows that the midfielder did not offer much quality in possession. He also had even fewer touches (40) than goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (47).
Tonali replaced Willock for the final 18 minutes of the match and his cameo showcased the gulf in quality between the two players. Per Sofascore, the Italy international won five of his seven duels, completed 88% of his attempted passes, and provided the assist for Miley’s winner with a terrific corner.
It was, unfortunately, not a rare bad night for Willock. In the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, the midfielder has lost 83% of his aerial duels and is yet to deliver a goal or an assist for the team, in seven appearances and two starts.
The £25m signing from Arsenal has also produced just 0.4 key passes per game, less than one chance created every other appearance, which speaks to the lack of quality that he is providing on the pitch for the Magpies.
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These statistics illustrate why Willock should be immediately dropped from the side for Tonali, and show that he looks well past his best, which was when he was in immense goalscoring form in 2021.
