Following on from Newcastle’s 0-0 draw with Everton, club legend Alan Shearer discussed our lack of final product on Saturday night and “mid-table” stats when it comes to the attacking side of our game.
Speaking on Match of the Day, the club’s record goalscorer pulled few punches when criticising our final ball at Goodison Park while a graphic revealed that Newcastle currently sit joint 13th for goals scored (8 in total), 10th for total shots (81 in total) and 15th for shots on target, with only 27 after 7 games.
“They were awful in the final third today. They played some really good football in terms of getting into the final third but their final pass or finish today was awful.
“The attacking numbers this season are very mid-table-ish. Having said that, they are sixth in the league and they’ve got no (Callum) Wilson and no (Alexander) Isak. They’re need Isak fit if they’re going to improve those stats.”
A solid start from Newcastle – but @AlanShearer says they need more goals…#BBCFootball #MOTD pic.twitter.com/ToppDYdEDM
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 5, 2024
Without a natural striker on the pitch, Newcastle struggled to convert their many chances, something that was equally apparent against Manchester City, and Eddie Howe is likely overjoyed that the international break is here and allowed for much of his side to rest.
Quite interestingly, since the 2022/23 season, Isak has started 49 games for Newcastle and has not started 34. Of these games, Newcastle have won 22 of the 49 in which the Swede starts (a 45% win rate), whilst they’ve won 18 of the 34 where he hasn’t started for a statistically superior 53% win rate!
The stats for where neither Isak nor WIlson play however make for less cheerful reading however: of the 6 games since 22/23 where this has happened, Newcastle have only won a single fixture, for a 17% win rate without either of their primary goalscorers.
