At their very best, Newcastle United are a pretty formidable unit.
While Eddie Howe’s side may not have always convinced in the opening stages of the season, few would doubt the quality Newcastle boast in their ranks.
This, after all, is one of the most valuable squads in world football and Howe has consistently been able to compete with some of the biggest teams in Europe – albeit largely at home.
Indeed, Newcastle are a fearsome opponent for any team in the Premier League and beyond, there is little doubt about that.
They have recently looked to turn their season around with wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, while Howe will no doubt be confident of claiming another three points when his team take on West Ham on Monday night.
Such is the quality in the Newcastle ranks, top managers are seemingly having to make bespoke game plans when it comes to playing them.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca recently lifted the lid on one in particular…
Enzo Maresca names the Newcastle player who made him change Cole Palmer’s position at Chelsea
Speaking to TNT Sports, Maresca revealed that the force that is Joelinton in midfield made him switch Cole Palmer’s position from right to left during the Premier League game between the two last month.
“If we left Cole in that side, he [is] probably getting marked man-to-man from Joelinton and that was probably [going to be] difficult for him,” he said.
“So the idea was to move him from the right pocket to the left pocket and in that game, it worked quite well.
“The reason why was to try to give Cole more space.”
Sadly for Newcastle, it worked as Palmer played a glorious ball over to Pedro Neto to tee up Nicolas Jackson for the Blues’ first goal before later scoring himself after Alexander Isak had levelled.
Still, having to change where arguably the best player in the Premier League operates is quite the compliment for Joelinton.
Joelinton is a force of nature for Newcastle
Not only is the Brazilian good enough in midfield to cause top managers to tinker with their game plans, he’s also a capable wide man for Newcastle.
In fact, while Joelinton usually operates on the left, he scored from the right wing during the win over Nottingham Forest before the international break.
An absolute beast all over the park, he impressed from both positions as Newcastle got their revenge on the Blues in the Carabao Cup only a few days after the league loss.
What. A. Player.
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