Newcastle United have enjoyed a relatively impressive return to the Premier League, winning three and losing three of their opening six matches in the top-flight; which shows they’re capable but still have plenty of room to improve.
Victories against Stoke City, Swansea and West Ham shows Newcastle are capable of going toe-to-toe with the established clubs in the Premier League but defeats in winnable games, including yesterday’s 1-0 loss to Brighton, proves there is work to do.
Rafael Benitez’ side have also lost to Huddersfield Town this season, another match the club would have seen as winnable, and the form on the road needs to be improved- especially with key trips to Southampton, Burnley and Manchester United on the horizon.
Any side looking to retain their status in the Premier League needs a reliable goalscorer and it’s clear that the Magpies have lacked that so far this season- with Joselu scoring just once, Dwight Gayle yet to open his account and Aleksandar Mitrovic also finding the net just once- although he’s missed the last three games through suspension.
Defender Jamaal Lascelles is the only Newcastle player to score more than once this season, whilst Christan Atsu is the only winger to have found the net- which shows Newcastle need a better return from their attacking players.
The Magpies need a striker capable of hitting double-digits this season and also need further support from midfield, where the club will expect the likes of Ayoze Perez, Matt Ritchie, Mikel Merino and Mohamed Diame to provide more of an influence.
Looking at the scoring charts from last season, Joshua King’s 16 goals for Bournemouth, Christian Benteke’s 15 for Crystal Palace and Fernando Llorente’s 15 for Swansea City were certainly crucial to that trio of clubs retaining their top-flight status.
Gayle’s return of 23 goals across all competitions for Newcastle United last season was decisive in the club’s immediate return to the Premier League, especially as Mitrovic scored just six times in all competitions- which suggests the Serbian striker can not be relied upon this campaign.
Matt Ritchie, who has four assists to his name this season, will also be crucial to Newcastle’s campaign if he can rekindle his form in front of goal and Lascelles completes the key-trio for the Magpies; having already scored twice this season, just one short of his overall tally last year.
In simple terms, goals win games and Newcastle need a reliable outlet to emerge from their squad- especially as Mike Ashley is reluctant to invest cash in the transfer market, which means the Magpies will be unlikely to land a top-class forward in January.
