Having appeared to be chugging smoothly towards safety and a season ending in mid-table obscurity, Newcastle United have suddenly allowed their form to nosedive with just 11 Premier League matches remaining. As per BBC, in their last nine top-flight fixtures, Steve Bruce has guided the Magpies to a measly one win, picking up only six points in that period, to head towards the relegation battle. However, all hope is not lost and while some squad members have been struggling Allan Saint-Maximin is threatening to come good and produce some season-saving from.
No one can doubt the 22-year-old French winger has been electric this season, immediately catching the eye whenever he has the ball at his feet with supreme close control and lightning pace. Across Europe’s top five leagues only Neymar, Lionel Messi, Adama Traore and Wilfred Zaha have averaged more dribbles per game than the Newcastle winger’s 4.6 in the Premier League.
But for all his captivating, mazy runs, Saint-Maximin’s struggles have come when attempting to convert those opportunities into goals and assist. But in his last eight appearances in all competitions he has turned that around, both scoring and assisting two, to give fans from the Toon army hope that their £22.5m-rated (Transfermarkt) prospect could develop into a genuine talent.
In his last four Premier League matches the former France U21 international has really begun to improve, taking on 11 shots, more than any other teammate in that period, as per the Premier League. Additionally, he has created eight chances for others, making him the second most creative Magpies player in the quartet of fixtures.
Furthermore, Saint-Maximin’s minutes per shot have begun to decrease from 45.6 to 31.7, meaning he is increasing his chances of adding to his one top-flight goal, via the Premier League. Another indicator that the former OCG Nice player is beginning to threaten opposition defences more regularly is that he has reduced his minutes per chance created from 63 to 44, via the Premier League.
Creating an opening for a fellow Newcastle player every half should hopefully see them end their run of failing to score in their last three matches. If he can increase his own Premier League goalscoring output, while increasing the number of chances he is creating for others, Saint-Maximin could inspire Newcastle to survival.
