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Opinion

‘Do you really want Joelinton to be called up by Brazil?’

2 years ago
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Joelinton is the most talked about Newcastle United player at the moment.

Or at least it seems that way to me.

Joelinton I think just about now having overtaken Allan Saint-Maximin, at least for the time being, especially with the Frenchman not having started the last three games due to a calf issue.

To be honest, it is hardly surprising that the former Hoffenheim player is dominating the Newcastle United so much.

Mike Ashley insisting on Newcastle United doubling their previous transfer record with the £40m purchase of a new centre-forward to score the much needed goals the team was desperate for ahead of the 2019/20 season. With the then owner having forced out Newcastle’s only two reliable goalscorers at the time, Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez.

Only for Steve Bruce to publicly come out after around a year or so, to declare that Joelinton was neither a centre-forward, nor a natural goalscorer.

After some 27 months and 77 Premier League appearances under Steve Bruce (and Mike Ashley), Joelinton had scored six goals. The biggest conversation point about him in the weeks and months leading up to October 2021, was that even with a takeover, it was going to be case of NUFC being stuck with Joelinton for the remaining four years of his contract.

Five months or so later and quite literally, pretty much everything has changed at Newcastle United, not least Joelinton.

In a quite incredible turn around, for many (most?) Newcastle fans, Joelinton would be the first name on the team sheet now.

Just to scramble brains even further, the now 25 year old would be first name on the team sheet as a midfield enforcer, rather than a goalscoring centre-forward!

Imagine if you had been away in some remote region, no contact with the outside world for the past five months or so, then you manage to get in touch with people back home and asking about what is happening with Newcastle United. Well, so much of it would take so much believing…but when you then got around to explaining about Joelinton…well, that would be really something.

Eddie Howe has done an incredible job in such a short space of time with so many players, as well as the team overall, yet Joelinton is the jewel that shines brightest. Nobody thinks he has really turned the corner with his goalscoring BUT there are some encouraging signs that the goals will start to flow to a half decent degree. Two goals in fifteen Premier League appearances from midfield, is a significant improvement on six in 77 Premier League appearances under Steve Bruce, with the vast majority of those as an out and out striker. I can see, especially with better players added around him, Joelinton potentially becoming a double figures from midfield player for Newcastle United which then added to the other playing strengths that have stood out for him under Eddie Howe, would mean we’d have some player on our hands.

Indeed, many Newcastle fans are already saying, Joelinton should surely be under consideration for the next Brazil squad when announced in March. Actually, many NUFC supporters are desperate for him to be called up by his country.

However, ask yourself the question…Do you really want Joelinton to be called up by Brazil?

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the emotions, Newcastle United wanting this to happen as the final affirmation of his journey from zero to hero.

I also can see where people are coming from, when they see Fred not only in the Brazil squad but also a regular starter for his country, then looking at what Joelinton has shown he can do in recent months. Well put it this way, how many Newcastle fans would swap Joelinton for the Man Utd mdifielder?

So yes, I think it isn’t a crazy concept to now imagine Joelinton at some point, in a Brazil shirt and playing for his country. Something we could have maybe imagined happening when £40m was paid for a 22 year old that the vast majority of us knew nothing about BUT which none of us even considered for a moment during over two years as a player under Steve Bruce.

So why do I question those who want Joelinton to link up with the Brazil squad this month? Well, I would love to see the Newcastle United midfielder playing for Brazil, only not this month.

My only priority is Newcastle United and these are the upcoming matches:

Thursday 10 March 7.30pm – Southampton Away

Sunday 13 March 2pm – Chelsea away (Sky Sports)

Thursday 17 March 7.45pm – Everton away (Amazon Prime)

Sunday 3 April 4.30pm – Tottenham away (Sky Sports)

Friday 8 April 8pm – Wolves home (Sky Sports)

Yes, massive strides have been made under Eddie Howe, especially these five wins in the last six Premier League games, BUT the job is not finished just yet. So many games come down to small margins in the Premier League and whilst I don’t think it will happen, it isn’t impossible that Newcastle could lose all of these next three matches.

If that happened, I think it would be simply a case of regrouping and going again after the international break. No need to panic. However, with Spurs away and Wolves at home only five days apart and after those only seven more games remaining, well, for me, it is a case of ensuring Newcastle United this international break to its absolutely maximum effect.

At a guess, I would assume that the plan is, after the away match at Everton, probably a few days off for the Newcastle United squad. With then on the Monday (21 March) the bulk of the NUFC first team squad back in training to prepare for the Tottenham match in 13 days time, whilst a handful or so were away with their national squads.

Joelinton away with Brazil is something that would ring massive alarm bells for me.

Instead of working for two weeks with the bulk of the NUFC first team / squad, Joelinton would be elsewhere.

As well as all the travelling and so on, the Brazil players face Chile at home on Thursday 24 March, then in the early hours (12.30am) of the morning of Wednesday 30 March (UK time) kicking off away against Bolivia.

The reality would be, that rather than two weeks intensive preparation with the other likely Newcastle United starters against Tottenham, Joelinton would instead be back at the Newcastle United training ground by Friday 1 April at the earliest, with one or two training sessions at the most before what could yet be a key game at Spurs.

Whilst we are all hoping to see a bit more of what Bruno Guimaraes can add to the Newcastle team in this busy March period of games, we are almost certainly set to see the above scenario played out for the signing from Lyon. Bruno G almost certainly in this next Brazil squad, which subsequently pretty much rules him out as a starter against Tottenham.

I just think that before we all demand that Joelinton isn’t ignored by Brazil, or even Dan Burn by England…with Newcastle United we need to be able to walk before we can run.

Yes, in the future I would love to see great players appearing for Newcastle United AND their countries but fighting relegation, you have to be realistic. Every NUFC player in March who isn’t called up for their country, is a bonus.

Especially in this scenario where Tottenham are going to be the opposition after an international break. Spurs a club who have numerous internationals in their squads and here’s hoping as many of them are as involved with their national teams as much as possible this month, potentially giving Newcastle United that added edge when playing them.

Joelinton for Brazil…just not now.

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