After discovering an attacking solution with Anthony Gordon, Newcastle United hopes of European football remain achievable, if they can address their problems in front of goal.
It’s been clear to see that Newcastle have been in attacking limbo in a post-Alexander Isak world, creating chances but struggling to score.
Anthony Gordon being up front is working out so far for the Magpies because he fits what Eddie Howe needs, and he can run in behind, dropping off CBs and exploiting the space behind them.
Despite the positive impact Gordon has made so far in the forward role, his goal record in the league isn’t the greatest, with three from 21 appearances (including 19 starts) this season.
He caused Manchester City a few problems, but he failed to really test the goalkeeper, which is the key issue for the Magpies, despite Gordon’s positive efforts recently.
This season in the league, the Magpies have scored 38 goals and have an xG of 40.5. Their conversion rate on big chances is 30.3%, which is the third worst in the league.
Whereas, in their 23/24 season, Newcastle United scored 85 Premier League goals with a 77.08 xG, and their big chance conversion rate was among the highest in the league at 47.76%, ranking them fourth best in that category.
The next season, their xG took a slight dip, dropping to 65.36, while they scored 65 PL goals; their big chance conversion rate dipped significantly to 12.2%.
Now, whilst they have gotten their numbers up from last season, their conversion rate for this season currently isn’t great, obviously, a lot of those factors into losing Alexander Isak.
Not to mention the players they’ve tried to lead the Newcastle United attack, just haven’t paid off. Even though Nick Woltemade made a positive start on Tyneside, he’s clearly struggled, and the overall team struggles, because he’s not a player who runs in behind and slots through defenders.
Things could have looked different if Yoane Wissa were available from the start, but injuries delayed his debut until December. The 29-year-old has managed to add a few goals to his name, but he hasn’t been a real threat and is lacking match sharpness, with his xG standing at 1.41.
But poor decision-making in the final third, combined with a lack of creative midfielders, leads to inefficiency when it’s badly needed.
Their attack has worked with Anthony Gordon in the team in a forward role, due to the close resemblance to what they were used to with Isak. As the Newcastle United man-to-man press works best when there is a forward with pace in there.
So, Eddie Howe’s Magpies have found a solution to their attack, but he needs to get them taking their chances. A European finish is still salvageable this season, but only if Newcastle United can fix their goal-scoring problem first.