Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has admitted West Ham United ‘managed’ Allan Saint-Maximin well last Saturday. But it is up to the forward to overcome sides planning for him.
The Hammers came from behind through Lucas Paqueta to hold the Magpies to a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park. Callum Wilson had broken the deadlock for the Toon inside just the third minute. But the east London outfit responded in the 32nd minute for a share of the points.
A point on Tyneside was enough to keep West Ham outside of the relegation zone, despite Everton beating Arsenal 1-0. While Newcastle sit fourth in the standings through 21 games having drawn a league-high 10 times. It was also their fourth draw in their last five fixtures.
Newcastle recalled Saint-Maximin to the starting line-up for the visit of West Ham. The 25-year-old had not opened a Premier League game since August 28. But Howe used him with Bruno Guimaraes banned. Joelinton had held the left-wing role but dropped into midfield.
Howe has been reluctant to change a winning side and afford Saint-Maximin more than his reserve role in recent months. The Frenchman had played off their bench eight times since he last started in a Premier League match. His hamstring injury also ruled him out of seven.
Newcastle boss Howe now the admits job West Ham did on Saint-Maximin
Saint-Maximin showed Howe some promising signs during his return to the Newcastle XI against West Ham. But the Magpies boss felt the Hammers dealt with the forward’s threat well in most. He also does not find it surprising that sides look to limit the winger’s impact.
“I think Maxi is someone that performs better with a more consistent run of games,” said Howe, via quotes by BBC Sport. “But that is the same for all players. He has a window and an opportunity to impress. There were some aspects in a really good place last week.
“Most importantly he tried to give his all for the team. I don’t think there was any lack of effort from him. West Ham managed him well. Teams will always look at him as a big threat and probably produce their game plans on keeping him quiet.
“It’s up to us and him to find a solution to those game plans. I’ve been really pleased with his attitude and how he’s worked this week, and I think Maxi is in a good place.”
Saint-Maximin played for 69 minutes against West Ham before Anthony Gordon came in on Newcastle’s left flank. Per SofaScore, he also managed a 65% pass success rate with just 13 accurate passes from 20 attempts. He was the Magpies’ ninth-most productive player.
Gordon completed 10 of his 11 passes during just 21 minutes on the pitch and also saw his only shot get blocked, like Saint-Maximin had. While the Frenchman – who cost Newcastle £16.5m rising to £20m in 2019, only completed one of his two dribbles like Sean Longstaff.
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