The honour of being Newcastle United‘s most improved player of 2022 is a prestigious one, given how many players Eddie Howe has made better.
While many people will point to the money spent by the Magpies this year, the work of Howe has been just as, if not more, important.
He has taken Newcastle to another level, and got some of his players playing better than they ever have before. His coaching methods have paid dividends, with various Magpies playing the best football of their career right now.
Fabian Schar was on the periphery under Steve Bruce but is now a main man under Howe, while we saw Emil Krafth fill in for Kieran Trippier seamlessly last season when fans were concerned by the January arrival’s injury.
Joe Willock looks to be more of a complete midfielder now, and Sean Longstaff is playing like he was when he first burst onto the scene in 2019.
But when it comes to the honour of being Newcastle’s most improved player, it is a toss up between two men.
Newcastle’s most improved player is a battle between Almiron and Joelinton
There has been so much improvement at St James’ Park over the past 12 months, but the two biggest stars to emerge are Joelinton and Miguel Almiron.
The former is now a midfield enforcer, while the latter is a goal machine. And it is the Paraguayan who we are going to give top spot to.
While Joelinton’s improvement has been magical, Almiron’s has been more of a shock. Joelinton was showing signs of recovery as soon as Howe walked through the door, while it took Miggy, who was signed by Rafa Benitez in 2019, some time to force his way into the side.
His chance came when Ryan Fraser picked up an injury in April, and the 28-year-old hasn’t looked back. He has overcame adversity, after being the subject of ridicule from Jack Grealish. But that’s water under the bridge now.
The £21million man was sensational in pre-season. There was a hint of a partnership with Kieran Trippier, as Almiron scored goal after goal. But the big question was whether his form would translate to the Premier League.
It has and more. With nine goals to his name, he is Newcastle’s top scorer this season. He is completely transformed from what he was under Bruce. Back then he was ineffective. He looked lost – a shadow of his former self.
But Howe has revitalised the speedster, who now looks ‘completely different‘ in the words of Gary Lineker.
He really does, showing a killer instinct in the final third that we didn’t know he had. There are wonderful combinations with Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes, and now Longstaff is getting in on the act too.
The biggest improvement from Almiron has been his confidence. He believes he can score. He has become more and more confident with each goal, which has been bad news for Newcastle’s Premier League rivals.
If you look back at his goal against Aston Villa, he made up his mind straight away that he was shooting. He met the ball with such confidence, lashing it into the back of the net. In previous years, he would have been unsure and somewhat timid. But on that occasion, and ever since Howe started working with him, he was deadly.
Joelinton is a close second, but the Almiron renaissance has been more of a shock. And that is why he is our most improved Newcastle player of 2022.
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