OPINION
Micky Quinn put the spotlight on six Newcastle United midfielders to start creating more opportunities for the attackers in his latest column but it’s his comments on the Magpies current forward’s options that pinpoint the real problem.
The former Magpies player attempts to defend the attacking trio of Yoshinori Muto, Salomon Rondon and Joselu for their lack of goals so far this season by criticising the rest of the team for not creating enough chances.
“Salomon Rondon is clearly struggling for full fitness at the moment, while Joselu is never going to be a prolific striker,” wrote Quinn for The Chronicle.
“But they need some help from their team-mates, It’s not like the pair are missing chance after chance; they’re barely getting any opportunities presented to them.
“The likes of Kenedy, Matt Ritchie, Ayoze Perez, Christian Atsu, Jacob Murphy and Jonjo Shelvey need to be whipping the ball into dangerous areas, or playing through-balls to release the forwards.
“If Rondon is fit, I’d start him. If he isn’t, I’d go with Joselu. I haven’t seen enough of Yoshinori Muto to make a full judgement on him yet, but he looks a bit lightweight to me and I think he’ll take a little time to adapt to the Premier League.
“The onus is on Joselu’s team-mates to create chances for the Spaniard, and then he must take them.”
However in the process Quinn inadvertently pans Muto for being lightweight, Rondon for being unfit and for Joselu never looking capable of being a prolific force to take the league the storm.
While the pundit is quick to suggest that at least two senior players have been left up a creek without a paddle due to their teammates not helping them enough, it’s not as simple as that.
It’s true all of the Magpies current midfielders have not carved out enough chances however when they have managed to showcase some creative insight, the forwards haven’t made the most of them.
This has caused the midfielders behind them to change their games and try to find a way to create chances that their attacking teammates can easily score from and this has left them creatively stunted.
For example, look at Matt Ritchie.
The winger is arguably the best crosser of the ball in the team, which he demonstrated in the opening match against Tottenham by whipping in a cross for Joselu to score, yet every other dangerous cross he has played since, and there’s been a few, no one has made the most of.
Rondon, probably due to lack of fitness, has looked unable to rise above the defence in order to head them home, as Quinn pointed out when Muto is actually on the pitch he doesn’t look suited to seeing off defenders for the ball and Joselu has failed to consistently guide his headers on target.
Due to Ritchie’s crosses not working out for him or his side, the winger has changed up his style for the worst and was seen in his last two outings trying to thread passes through or pass the ball directly to feet as he has seemed to come to the conclusion that his teammates weren’t flourishing with him crossing in the ball.
The issue wasn’t with his crosses, it’s just that the Magpies’ attacking options aren’t firing on all cylinders and wouldn’t fire home the simplest of chances.
This is the actual root of the Magpies’ problem in front of goal.
The midfielders that are currently given the task of creating chances for their teammates haven’t worked out the best way to help their teammates and until the frontline score goals and show them the type of chances they want, the players behind can’t deliver the goods for that reason.
Therefore Quinn by panning Muto, Rondon and Joselu has inadvertently pinpointed the root of Newcastle problems as due to the trio’s lack of goals, the creative midfielders behind them can’t work out how best to help and are stuck failing in their quest for that reason to aid their side.
