We are struggling up front again this season, much like we did last season, and Newcastle have scored just 4 goals in our first 6 Premier League games.
Last season we scored one goal a game – 38 in the Premier League – and this was one area Rafa wanted to strengthen in the summer.
We brought in Salomon Rondon and Yoshimori Muto, but both are still settling into the Newcastle team.
Salomon has not been match-fit, and Muto has been struggling with the physicality of the Premier League.
To get Salomon to the club on loan, we had to send Dwight Gayle the other way on loan for the season.
Aleksandar Mitrovic – after a 1-1 draw at home to Watford
And it’s hardly a surprise that he has already scored 5 goals in 9 league games and is third top scorer in the Championship.
He has more goals than Newcastle have scored in the Premier League.
If Dwight can keep fit, we would fully expect him to be topping the goalscoring charts next May and help West Brom come straight back up.
Rafa Benitez hardly used Aleksandar Mitrovic at Newcastle because Mitro’s style of play just didn’t fit with the type of striker Rafa wanted in his 4-2-3-1 formation.
And subsequently, Mitro didn’t score many goals for us – only 17 Newcastle goals in 72 appearances – a lot of them sub appearances.
But he’s on fire at Fulham and while on loan last season he scored 12 goals in 17 Championship games and helped them get promoted.
And Fulham are off to a reasonable start and Mitrovic has 5 goals in six Premier League appearances so far this season – he has scored more than half of Fulham’s 8 goals in the PL.
Mitrovic is the second top scorer in the Premier League.
And he has more Premier League goals than Newcastle have scored this season.
So one question could be why didn’t Rafa adapt and play to Mitro’s strength, which Fulham have done and are getting the rewards.
With Mitro in excellent goalscoring form, one consolation for Newcastle is we should get the full £27M for him.
But Fulham will still think that’s a bargain when strikers who can score goals regularly in the Premier league usually cost a lot more than £27M.
And to make things even worse, Newcastle currently cannot afford to pay £27M for any player with Mike Ashley as the owner.
There’s something wrong somewhere.
Comments welcome.
147 comments so far
jimiley
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:13 PM
Comment #121Jail.
Nowt to do with the results.
Its the performances.
lochinvar
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:13 PM
Comment #122So is that Mourinho out of a job ?
Wonder if Man Ure will come calling for Rafa ?
jimiley
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:15 PM
Comment #123Rafa at Man U?
More chance of the Pope turning Catholic.
jimiley
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:16 PM
Comment #124errr…. Protestant
hitman
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:39 PM
Comment #125jesper you big fannie no fkin connection to newcastle giving it the biggen.
the tard from nowhere you up for a meet.
lochinvar
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:39 PM
Comment #126An ex- Liverpool manager for Man Utd ain’t exactly a good bet. Perhaps they’ll rescue McLaren from QPR
catchy in norway
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:43 PM
Comment #127well that makes a mockery of the so called bigger better team having to have all the possession.
man u 47%.
passes
man u 446 derby 498
pass accuracy
man u 75% Derby 79%
what’s the value of each squad?
derby 56 million
Man u 769 million
i guess Derby didn’t get the memo
catchy in norway
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:47 PM
Comment #128Jail
are you an account?
hitman
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:50 PM
Comment #129catchy do you want to meet up for a pint
toon22
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:52 PM
Comment #130Wow
Some utter bullshits been flying tonight
It’s laugable
Wouldn’t be out of place on a Denise Wise phone in
It’s never MAs fault
hitman
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:53 PM
Comment #131jesper same to you.we can discuss the philosophies of rafa.
hitman
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:55 PM
Comment #132jesper when was the last time you were in Newcastle.
Pain in the Blog
Sep 25, 2018 at 10:57 PM
Comment #133Catchy it was a league cup game. ManU did not put out their strongest team. Mourinho made nine changes to the team held by Wolves last weekend – all changed except Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard. OK, it’s still a much stronger team than Derby but not to the extent that you are proposing. And third choice keeper in goal for the penalty shootout. Come on, tell it as it is.
toon22
Sep 25, 2018 at 11:38 PM
Comment #134I’m blaming Rafa for the way Manu player
Lmfao
If it’s wasn’t so tragic it would be funny
Our Toon
Sep 26, 2018 at 5:01 AM
Comment #135Pain
Same cup that we got knocked out against forest in and managed our first shot on target in the 89th minute.
The man utd team out yesterday had international players that would walk into our team, watching the rerun its funny that when derby took the lead they decided to hold onto what they have and conceded in the 95th minute to make it 2-2
The point is they went for the win from the off and were the better side with less quality than us under a complete novice. Apparently you can only play decent football with quality players.
Our Toon
Sep 26, 2018 at 5:03 AM
Comment #136Hitman
Its a world wide blog, you seem to have a chip on your shoulder and are offering fans out, why not go to Norway and meet both of them or alternatively I’ll meet up with you when I return back to the UK on Sunday……no pint for me though.
Name a time and place, we can discuss what the issues are that you have
Jib
Sep 26, 2018 at 5:28 AM
Comment #137In August 2009 the FA banned pre-match
direct references to match officials.
Rafa not only mentioned the ref in his presser
but also named Marriner
A double whammy
The FA have charged Rafa
He has until Friday teatime to respond
DubaiMicky
Sep 26, 2018 at 6:38 AM
Comment #138Monaco’s owner Dmitry Rybolovlev is looking to sell the club – there has been interest from the United States and the United Arab Emirates. On TransferMarkt AS Monaco are valued at £270m, we are at £157m (just for a like for like comparison). There are buyers out there.
Jib
Sep 26, 2018 at 6:47 AM
Comment #139Dubai Micky
Those valuations on Transfermarkt
are of the current squad in total not
the club as a business
DubaiMicky
Sep 26, 2018 at 6:51 AM
Comment #140Jib, I realise that, hence the like for like comparison from the same source.
Veltman
Sep 26, 2018 at 6:58 AM
Comment #141So Jail, are you coming here to chat them football or TELL them one by one and send them to the cleaners?
I would do the latter if I were YOU.
Haven’t read what’s going on in the last few weeks as I lost interest coming to the blog.
But felt I should say that as a matter of interest if it rings a bell.
Will try to catch up later.
catchy in norway
Sep 26, 2018 at 7:01 AM
Comment #142Hit man
sure,, let me know when your in Stavanger, but i dont drink alcohol.
The next Mike Williamson
Sep 26, 2018 at 7:43 AM
Comment #143I posted ages ago something along the lines that Benitez gets it right 90% of the time with his defenders, 50-60% with midfielders (inparticularly defensive ones), and I think I said 30% of the time with strikers or attacking players (closer to 20% if i’m being truthful). Carr was probably the other way round (better at getting flair and attacking players). I have to admit I really don’t trust Rafa’s judgement of strikers/ wingers. He seems to want a striker who can run the channels (what are wingers for?) or someone who can come back and defend (what are midfielders for?). If we have 9 outfield players defending, then we should have one who just lurks in the box who can make the most of the very few chances we get. If we create little we need a finisher. Greece won the Euros with 9 defenders only because the striker put away every chance he got which was usually one chance per game, Burnley were similarly lucky last season. Mitrovic and Thauvin are going to go for a lot more than our entire team is worth. Mbabu was clearly going to be a good player but was young and maybe got forward too much. Anyway my point was meant to be I wish we had Rafa picking defenders and Carr helping him find attacking players (that probably wouldn’t fit his system in reality). I can’t help being annoyed that three players I desperately wanted to keep are doing so well and we have a bunch of forward players who do little more than run around lots. We should just get a bunch of Kenyans and throw them upfront.
Jail for Ashley
Sep 26, 2018 at 7:47 AM
Comment #144catchy, Our Toon, Munster at al. Instead of having hitmen travel all over the place, why don’t you all get together in the Leazes where there’s more chance of getting seats together and start a chant of you don’t know what you’re doing. If catchy the statiscal wonderboy is right that minority will then persuade the sheep to join in. You can then see your wishes fulfilled with the whole ground joining in and the manager will be forced to “attack” more.
Jail for Ashley
Sep 26, 2018 at 7:50 AM
Comment #145TNMW,
Carr went for players who only came here to get a better move asap, hence those that were good got sold and those that weren’t we got lumbered with. Hence the relegation and numerous relegation battles.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Sep 26, 2018 at 7:54 AM
Comment #146Jail…you really need to stop moaning about others…
Jail for Ashley
Sep 26, 2018 at 8:06 AM
Comment #147Button it Fugslæng!