Newcastle paid a record fee for Brazilian striker Joelinton in the summer, but having scored just once this season, he has been criticised by some Newcastle fans.
Supporters are rightly frustrated with the season so far, and particularly the lack of goals, but much of the blame for that lies with the manager, not the number nine.
Because Joelinton is 6ft 1in, people assume he is a centre-forward in the style of Alan Shearer or Andy Carroll. He is not.
He is not a target man and would have a lot more success if he had another genuine striker alongside him.
In fact, the job the Brazilian has done to try to hold up the ball as a lone striker has been quite admirable, particularly as it is a role alien to him.
Most of Joelinton’s work has been done with his back to goal so far, something he did not have to do at Hoffenheim. The stats back it up, with him having fewer shots on goal this season to last, fewer dribbles, fewer key passes, and crucially, fewer goals.
They show he is having to hold the ball up, and not having the chance to run at back-pedalling defenders, and also suggest he is not on the ball as high up the pitch as he was in Germany.
Comparing Joelinton to Salomon Rondon is unfair
It is also harsh to compare Joelinton with his predecessor Salomon Rondon, as the goal-posts have moved between last season and this – no pun intended.
The big difference between last season and this, is the loss of Ayoze Perez. We wrote previously that Perez’s influence at Newcastle is only being noticed now he is gone, and while Rondon had Perez to feed off, Joelinton has Miguel Almiron, who is completely out of sorts.
Rather than being criticised, Joelinton deserves some credit for the job he is trying to do.
If Steve Bruce is to get the best out of his number nine, he needs to select a formation and tactics that will do so, which means having another striker alongside him, and playing a more adventurous style.
Of course, the situation Bruce finds himself in has him more concerned about not losing, and as a result, he continually surrenders the vast majority of possession.
It is a catch-22 for the manager, but while he tried to be more attacking at Leicester, we got hammered 5-0, so he has been reluctant to repeat his experiment.
But against teams where we would be expected to win – particularly at home – we should adopt a more offence-minded, expansive approach.
If he is bold, and plays two strikers, and possibly just four at the back, I am certain he, and the fans, will see a rejuvinated Joelinton, who can finally start to look like the £40 million striker he is.
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