Jack Grealish was intoxicated and in the throng of his first Premier League title celebration at Manchester City. He wasn\u2019t thinking about how he looked or sounded, but staring down the lens of a camera, he uttered a sentence that would go viral, and inadvertently inspire one of the most potent runs of form this season.<\/p>\n
Riyad Mahrez initially appeared the target of his jibe. When talking on an Instagram Story with Bernardo Silva, the England playmaker mocked Mahrez for his performance in the title-winning 3-2 win over Aston Villa on the final day of the season. But in it, he brought somebody else into the equation, namely Newcastle\u2019s Miguel Almiron. From that moment, a friendly joke between teammates became something else entirely. Given his lack of connection to Almiron, Grealish\u2019s comment came appeared crass and disrespectful. Newcastle fans leapt to the defence of their player on the basis of tribalism, but also because the Paraguayan playmaker is one of the most likeable members of Eddie Howe\u2019s surprise, his running stats only bettered by the number of smiles on his face.<\/p>\n
But the saddest part of the entire saga was, although he is popular with everybody at the club, Almiron\u2019s goal output and key moments in terms of end product was lacking. It meant that the defence from Grealish\u2019s cruel comment only went so far. Given Newcastle\u2019s relatively new-found wealth and apparent lack of ceiling, at least according to Liverpool boss J\u00fcrgen Klopp, there was a point where it seemed like Almiron\u2019s exit was only a matter of time.<\/p>\n
But because work-rate is such a huge part of Almiron\u2019s game and personality, he could never be fully written off. And now here we are, with Almiron making all of his critics look silly by his recent performances. Grealish has never publicly commented on or acknowledged the incident, but the fact Almiron has scored five Premier League goals this season, more than he has in his entire career, means he is unable to escape mocking aimed at him by Newcastle fans, who have adapted and changed the meaning of the phrase \u2018play like Almiron\u2019 to reflect his current impact on the team.<\/p>\n
Only Almiron himself will truly know how direct a correlation there is between Grealish\u2019s joke and his form this season. But from Newcastle\u2019s perspective, it is far from the only factor. While their huge transfer outlay in the first two windows since the takeover has aided their rise from relegation certainties to European contenders, Eddie Howe\u2019s work with players he inherited has also been lauded and rightly so.<\/p>\n
The transformation of Joelinton from failing striker to midfield powerhouse has garnered the most attention, but the way he has improved the likes of Fabian Sch\u00e4r in defence and Joe Willock in midfield hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed either. If he keeps this form up, though, Almiron could prove Howe\u2019s greatest achievement yet. Newcastle are seeing the benefits of that work on Almiron\u2019s output and confidence. His childlike enjoyment of playing football has always been intoxicating from the moment he arrived for \u00a321m from Atlanta United in January 2019. Despite not scoring or assisting a goal in his first season, under Rafael Benitez, his energy and attitude really helped transform the team\u2019s fortunes and helped them finish safely in midtable.<\/p>\n