These are quite pleasing stats and thus far.... mirror our last promotion team... please log in to view this image
Assuming Gayle is gonna be out most of the season now (he was always an injured waiting to happen anyway), we really need to see Mitro, Perez and Murphy getting more - yeah people all say how well Mitro plays but it needs to include goals now and they can't just come from midfield. I think it might be worth trying Murphy for Bristol City, he's was in good form, had an off day vs QPR and hasn't featured since, pretty harsh imo.
Why will starting Murphy help? We have just started to give Mitro a chance (and doing reasonably well) - we need to continue with him against Bristol City (maybe he can get a goal) and give him the run in the side all strikers need.
Mitro has lacked match sharpness. Strikers need that and confidence in abundance to score goals. Continue with Mitro and the goals will follow. He has a chance to really stake a claim now. Murphy is third choice and should only be given a chance if Mitro either gets injured or blows his chance.
Really wish Rafa has signed some goalscorers though, and players who can handle this division. His naivety shows when you look at this list, none of his signings on there at all. The media were right.
Not that i'm a newcastle fan but its this sort of thinking that i find quite frustrating (maybe i'm the one being stupid) but this is a guy who has started 7 games in the league and subbed on 11 times (generally around the 80th minute mark classic benitez) and has contributed 4 goals and 3 assists. I don't know how you want to count those 11 times (lets just give it a 4 games even though the minutes probably equated to about 2) and that 4 goals in 11 which is hardly terrible not including his assists. Hows the guy meant to be contributing goals when hes sat getting splinters?
https://www.whoscored.com/Players/115279/Show/Aleksandar-Mitrovic Mitro's stats. As said above - 7 starts and 4 goals/ 3 assists. 11 sub appearances - Most of those being post 60/70th minute. Crap? I don't think so.
I'm on the fence, but facing away from the Mitrovic love-in. He's missed quite a few easy chances - consistently. It's not like he's had a purple patch, then a lean spell (Vardy, I'm looking at you). He's consistently missed some really simple stuff. I'm not saying he's a bad player, he's not. He's getting fitter and a little faster, he's tough, applies himself well and does some stellar hold up play. He gets into positions and at least he's there to have a shot - it'd be worse if he simply wasn't there. BUT (it's a big but) he misses too often. I'm personally glad he is getting a run of games now - he has all the potential to decimate this league and go on from there. It just has to become better than potential at some point. He might not be crap, but even these generous stats place him somewhere around 'average'. He's nowhere near the stats of Abraham, Murray, Forestieri, Wood, Winnall, and so on. How many of those are top class strikers?
Sharpness and confidence have a lot to do with strikers missing easy chances. I think with a run of games and a bit of confidence in front of goal he will start putting the chances away. Every striker goes through a period where they can't hit a barn door.
He has had nowhere near the minutes of those guys. You need to compare him with other bit part players. I'll give you a clue, he comes out favourably
The stat was about goals per games, wasn't it? When did I say he had the same number of minutes? I said the statistic didn't stack up as Windy intended.
Can't we start both? I just find it odd that when Murphy got in the side he was showing good form and getting the goals and then hasn't has just been dropped. Murphy is more of a natural goal scorer than Mitro, so them both combined could be very good, Mitro creating spce and Murphy finishing them off.
He does contribute, but I'm not sure he can be direct replacement for Gayle, as he is far less of an out and out goalscorer, likewise Perez. It's just we're placing massive responsibility on Mitro if we're expecting him to be the goal scorer Gayle was. I wish he played far more, as he normally does an excellent job (when he's calm), but he's main skill is his strength, presence and power, i.e. being able to free up space for a more poacher type striker lile Murphy, who is oddly not getting a look in at the moment,
Agreed. We're playing a team who are rock bottom in form and have just lost their main scorer, but without a large squad. If this isn't a good enough time to play with the luxury of two strikers then Rafa will be proven to have an unbending team formation.
Should be playing 3-5-2 against Bristol City. Darlow Clarke, Lascelles and Dummet/ Mbemba/ Hanley a back three. Yedlin, Shelvey, Diame, Colback/ Gouffran, Ritchie/ Atsu/ Lazaar Perez/ Murphy, Mitrovic up front.
I'd like to see us go for it but nothing needs to be changed personally because we will win anyway and it could go wrong if we do change things
