Foot & Soccer Soccer Match Reports, Football News
Final evening’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham was a large momentum killer, but in addition a match that flagged up a worrying theme to this point this season; our battle for targets.
Newcastle United have scored simply 5 targets in six Premier League video games at St James’ Park this season. Final season the typical was over 2.5 targets a sport.
Goalscoring is turning into an enormous challenge. The lads have did not beat West Ham, Brighton, Everton, Fulham and Bournemouth to this point this season, scoring simply two targets within the course of. It’s now simply 13 targets scored within the opening 12 league video games with solely Southampton, Everton and Palace scoring much less! At this stage final season, United had greater than twice that quantity, the place we went on to interrupt information for targets scored within the Premier League period.
The attacking gamers look a shadow of the gamers they had been final yr; particularly Gordon, however Isak, Joelinton, Willock and Bruno are all sorely missing in targets too this season. It’s not all on the attackers, there are apparent deficiencies behind them, however the drop-off in goalscoring skill is stark and have to be addressed ASAP.
Then we come to Eddie Howe’s substitutes, which had been a little bit of a automotive crash final evening.
On paper United had a really sturdy bench however Howe made an enormous mess of his subs as they had been ineffective and headscratchingly poor as nothing labored on the evening. What even was the workforce form on the finish of the sport? If Steve Bruce had made these modifications…
Murphy was a catastrophe, but Miggy sits on the bench all evening. Longstaff is having no affect on the sport, but Tonali sits on the bench till the workforce is 2-0 down. The place was Barnes even enjoying? Wilson appeared, unsurprisingly, unfit and remoted as we moved to a 4-4-2. For 20 minutes after the flurry of substitutes, it appeared like nobody knew the place they had been enjoying.
On prime of that, the whole lack of defensive cowl meant a frankly appalling Lloyd Kelly performed the total 90 minutes regardless of his marking, passing, heading and all-round sport largely contributing to the workforce dropping factors. That isn’t on Howe, nevertheless it was a tough watch and regarding to see his summer time signing look so poor in what is supposed to be his most well-liked place.
