Phil Thompson raves over Jonjo Shelvey but criticises Newcastle’s other creative players

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Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson has lavished praise on Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey after a run of three goals in three matches.

But Thompson called on team-mates such as Miguel Almiron and Joelinton to share the goalscoring burden, which is also being carried disproportionally by Newcastle’s defenders.

He said: “Newcastle are having a good spell at the moment. Jonjo Shelvey has inspired them, scoring in his last three – it is wonderful. A load of confidence will be seeping through Newcastle at the moment. They will not blow teams away, as I don’t think Joelinton and Miguel Almiron will score a bag full of goals.

“Allan Saint-Maximin will give them pace and strength and they will miss him, so the midfield has to chip in somewhere. The centre-backs are the leading goalscorers so set pieces will be vital for them. I think this will be a difficult test for Burnley, but I expect them to just come through this one.”

TBR’s View – Bruce getting the best from maverick Shelvey

Shelvey’s maverick style was always going to be at odds with Rafa Benitez’s insistence on extreme organisation and teamwork.

But Bruce is a manager willing to offer more freedom to his players and while that style may not bring about as much defensive rigidity, it tends to get the best out of players like Shelvey.