Joe Buck takes a look at his Newcastle United 2024/25 player ratings. This time, he analyses the goalkeepers to see how Sean Longstaff, Lewis Miley, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, Joe Willock and Bruno Guimaraes compare.
00:00This is Joe Buck of the Shields Gazette back again, this time with my Newcastle United midfielder player ratings.
00:07Now, as I've said on the previous videos, I've done my goalkeeper and defender ratings, so please check them out on our social media pages and on the Shields Gazette website.
00:15But now it's turn for the midfielders. Now, unlike the goalkeepers and defenders, I think this one is one that's going to cause a little bit of debate.
00:22And one that's quite split in my ratings, I've got sort of six players to go through, three who have not featured very much and not done too much when they have featured.
00:32And three players who would all probably be in with a shout out of player of the season, certainly two of them.
00:37So, yeah, let's begin. I'm going to start off with my lowest rating to the highest as I've done in the previous videos.
00:42So, first of all, Joe Willock, he gets a four out of ten.
00:45Now, I feel really bad for Willock because his injury issues over the last two seasons have been particularly bad.
00:51He obviously got injured against Brighton at the end of the 2022-23 season.
00:55A bad hamstring injury there.
00:57And has never really recovered from that.
00:59Began the campaign on the sidelines.
01:01Came in against Nottingham Forest for his debut in the Carabao Cup.
01:04Scored within 20 seconds.
01:05Then got injured again.
01:06And just has had a hot stop start running the team.
01:09Hasn't really got going.
01:10And then was given a chance towards the end of the campaign without Joe Linton in the team.
01:15And it just never really took his chance, never really grasped it.
01:19Now, it's unfair, I think, a little bit on him because he's been asked to fill in for Joe Linton, who's had a fantastic season.
01:26But for me, Willock just never really grabbed that opportunity.
01:29And for me, he can't really get more than a four out of ten.
01:33Next up is Sean Longstaff.
01:34He gets a five out of ten.
01:36He hasn't really featured at all in the back half of the season with other options ahead of him.
01:41And the starting three, which have obviously been fantastic.
01:44But, you know, he did start off fairly well.
01:47It's a hard one with Sean Longstaff because he always goes under the radar and never really does catch his eye like many of his other teammates.
01:55But he was in the team at the beginning of the season when they played all right.
01:58And then before that tactical switch for Sandro Tonali, he was the one playing in that team and getting results.
02:04I remember the game against Arsenal at home in November.
02:06He was really good on that day.
02:08But since he's come out of the team, he's just never really been able to impress coming off the bench.
02:14So, yeah, five out of ten for Sean Longstaff.
02:16Now, six out of ten is Lewis Miley.
02:18Miley started the season injured.
02:20And again, like Willock and Longstaff before, he just hasn't really had the opportunities to impress.
02:25But for me, it has taken them more than Willock and Longstaff.
02:28He had a couple of FA Cup games.
02:30Of course, scored against Bromley.
02:31Scored against Nottingham Forest at home when he was given an opportunity in that game.
02:34So, out of the three of them so far, he's the one that's been...
02:37He's took their chance when offered it.
02:39And obviously, at the youngest, I'm still a teenager.
02:42He has lots of potential to progress.
02:46We saw last year in the big games when he was thrown into the team after the injury crisis.
02:51He has performed in big games.
02:52And Eddie Howe really rates him.
02:54And, you know, has spoken about how highly he thinks he's got a big future at this club.
02:57So, yeah, Lewis Miley, six out of ten.
02:59Hopefully, next year, he can get more games and really start to show the player he was last year.
03:04Now, eight out of ten for me is Joe Linton.
03:06Joe Linton has been brilliant.
03:08I think he's shown the last couple of weeks just how big of a difference he makes to this team.
03:12You know, his absence is really...
03:14There's a hole in that midfield.
03:15And, yeah, don't get me wrong.
03:17He's had a couple of bad games throughout the season.
03:20But he's had so many more good games than bad games.
03:23And you just think back to that Carabao Cup final.
03:25He was my man in the match that day.
03:27Asked in the press box on that day.
03:28A couple of people said, Dan Berman.
03:30The majority of us went for Joe Linton.
03:32He was absolutely brilliant.
03:33All energy.
03:34And, yeah, someone that, if you're an opposition player, you don't want to see him in the team.
03:37So, eight out of ten for me for Joe Linton.
03:40Now, we'll move up to nine out of ten.
03:42So, we all know there's two letters.
03:43Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
03:45And nine out of ten for me is Bruno Guimaraes.
03:47I think he has been brilliant.
03:48He's led from the front.
03:50It was the big debate whether he should have been named captain.
03:52Obviously, Kieran Trippier was sort of the captain in La Salle's absence at the end of last year.
03:58But Bruno was given the captaincy and he's took that role and really shone with it.
04:02The move to the right side midfielder on the number six in December just allowed him to get so much more well than the attacking phase.
04:09And just run the game essentially.
04:11Or allowed Tonali to run the game and he can play his own game.
04:14And, yeah, he's been absolutely brilliant, Bruno.
04:16I can't, you know, no Newcastle player, fans, sorry, will doubt that.
04:21And, yeah, I really hope that he has a big future at this club because he's obviously one of the fans' favourite players.
04:26He's obviously one of his teammates' favourite players.
04:28He's just made for Newcastle United.
04:30And, yeah, as much as he's maybe been overshone by one player, spoiler alert, he has been, he's had a fantastic year.
04:37And, of course, that means my midfield player of the year is Sandro Tonali.
04:42He gets an absolute 10 out of 10.
04:43I don't think there's anything you can say, I can say about Tonali that hasn't already been said.
04:47Yeah, he's been absolutely brilliant.
04:49His move into number six is the main reason for Newcastle United qualifying for the Champions League.
04:54Eddie Howe was forced into it, really, and he's stuck with it and it has been an absolute masterstroke.
05:01Tonali's been brilliant.
05:02He's fantastic in attack.
05:04He's shown that with the goals he scored this year.
05:06And also defence as well.
05:07He's across every single blade of the grass.
05:09I don't think there's a moment where the opposition member of the team breaks that you don't expect Tonali to be there.
05:16And he's always there.
05:17If there's a, you know, a run that needs mopping up, Tonali will be there.
05:20If there's a ball that needs to be passed off to get out of trouble, Tonali's there.
05:24Yeah, he's just been absolutely fantastic.
05:27Certainly one of my players of the season, if not player of the season.
05:30And obviously it's easy to remember that he didn't really get into the team a regular amount of games till about December.
05:38So yeah, the turnaround has been fantastic.
05:40Tonali, 10 out of 10 for me.
05:42I don't think there's been a better player than him this year.
05:45Although there might be someone coming up that could threaten him.
05:48But yeah, Tonali, 10 out of 10.
05:50My midfield player of the season.
05:52If you agree or don't agree, please let me know.
05:55Please have a look at my defender and goalkeeper ones.
05:57There's a strike I want coming out at the end of the weekend.
06:00Or a forward one, which I'm sure will cause a lot of debate as well.
06:03So yeah, please read the article online.
06:05Please watch this video.
06:06Comment underneath.
06:07And let me know who your midfield player of the year.
06:09And of course, all your midfield player ratings and your player ratings from across Newcastle United.
