Ayoze Perez was the hero against Watford, but that doesn’t mean he should start against Bournemouth.
The Spaniard’s celebration made it clear he’s heard the disgruntlement towards his performances, but one goal doesn’t right every wrong.
While Perez won the game for us, like he did at times last season, he should remain on the bench when Bournemouth arrive in the North East.
Muto should still start over Perez
Against the Hornets, Perez was dropped to the bench for the first time this season.
In his place, Salomon Rondon came in, meaning Yoshinori Muto had a new partner to work with. Muto was expected to play in Perez’s role, dropping off the forward and finding space in the number 10 position.
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And it was something the Japanese striker did well…sort of. Muto found some nice pockets of space and got in some strong positions, but often wasn’t effective in possession.
The summer signing had a one minute spell where three times he got the ball in a positive position, and chose the wrong option every time. But despite his mistakes, the intentions were positive from Muto.
He was withdrawn just before the break due to injury, but the Chronicle have reported that he could be fit for this weekend.
If he is fit, then he should get another chance from the start. This would mean keeping Perez on the bench, who responded in the right way last weekend.
Keep Perez on the bench
If things aren’t going our way against the Cherries, we can have the option of Perez off the bench. It worked last week, with the slick-haired striker coming up trumps when called upon.
However, his overall performance still wasn’t anything to write home about, despite impressing in flashes.
Muto still needs time to adapt to Premier League football, and the only way he’ll do that is by starting games.
As for Perez, one goal doesn’t mean we should all forget about a terrible start to the season. We need competition for places, and keeping him on the bench once again should only increase his hunger to prove people wrong.
