Six games into the season, Newcastle United will probably be happy with their tally of nine points but a major concern for Rafael Benitez is the lack of form from his strikers, with his main trio scoring just twice between them.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, who returns from suspension this weekend, has scored once this term and summer signing Joselu, who arrived from Stoke City for £5m, scored against his former side but failed to find the net in the Serbian’s absence.
On top of this, Dwight Gayle is yet to open his account for the new season, although a large part of that may be because he’s started just two games this season- with his other three appearances coming off the bench, including a 19-minute run out in the recent defeat to Brighton.
Gayle was the starring man during Newcastle’s promotion winning campaign last season, leading the scoring charts, and it’s therefore surprising to see him consistently overlooked- especially when Joselu doesn’t look capable of performing better.
In his starts this season, Joselu has struggled to lead the line effectively and hasn’t been enough of a threat for the defenders he faces off against- which is why it would probably be ideal to reinstate Dwight Gayle to the line-up this weekend.
Liverpool’s defence remains shaky and they could struggle to quell the attacking threat presented by Gayle, particularly with his pace and runs in behind- which is an avenue that Newcastle should look to exploit this weekend.
Joselu doesn’t bring the same sort of threat, although the two could work as a partnership if Rafael Benitez decides that Mitrovic shouldn’t return to the starting line-up immediately following his three-game absence.
The next six weeks will be telling for Newcastle as they battle towards stability and have a flurry of winnable matches following the hosting of Liverpool and a trip to face Manchester United in mid-November, so it’s the ideal chance for Gayle to get going properly for the season.
