Aleksandar Mitrovic in need of better service at Newcastle?
Thursday 15 October 2015 10:24, UK
Can Newcastle get the best from new signing Aleksandar Mitrovic? We look at the stats.
Jermaine Jenas infamously described Newcastle as a goldfish bowl, but supporters in the city have memories that last rather longer than three seconds. So when new signing Aleksandar Mitrovic announced that he hoped to "make a similar impact" to Alan Shearer, eyes were rolled and appetites whet. Had Newcastle found a new hero?
Ex-goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek soon sought to downplay expectations. "The sad thing about this is that whenever something good happens at Newcastle, no matter how small, people get extremely excited about it, " he told The Chronicle. "I'm not sure that it is a good thing that Newcastle United fans seems to be pinning their hopes and dreams on the forward."
There's good reason for supporters to be cautious right now. Steve McClaren's side go into Sunday's clash with Norwich bottom of the Premier League and their £12m striker has as many red cards as goals so far. Understandably, much of the focus has been on those not-so-isolated incidents of aggression from a character with a history of headbutts.
The passion is welcome. The outlet unproductive. "He needs to have the fire in the belly but the ice in the head," says McClaren. But it's Mitrovic's willingness to engage with supporters that has so endeared him. While the bald statistics suggest his contribution has been mirrored by the efforts of Papiss Cisse, it has felt very different to those Newcastle fans. They recognise the potential, and the pedigree is there.
With volleyed goals and expert assists, Mitrovic was the player of the tournament at the 2013 European U19 Championship. UEFA's technical report described him as a "fine finisher and highlighted his "off-the-ball movement and control" as key assets. That's the talent Newcastle identified after going on to score 44 goals in two seasons at Anderlecht.
"He brings goals, he brings potential, he's got talent," said McClaren upon the Serbian's arrival at the club in the summer. "I think that is an ideal signing profile for the football club and we want to develop him. Bring him in and give him the experience, however long it takes to adapt to the Premier League."
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But it may take time. Mitrovic only turned 21 last month and, as his age would suggest, this finisher is not the finished product. Indeed, his wastefulness in front of goal was an issue in last season's Champions League. According to Opta, he missed six clear-cut chances. Only three men missed more and they all played at least 10 games. Mitrovic managed it in five.
Inconsistency aside, perhaps the key point that has become clear to McClaren so far this season is that his new signing needs support. Mitrovic is not a man likely to fashion chances from nothing and it was noticeable that, even after a good result at Manchester United, the striker chose to focus on the service he was receiving and his hope for more.
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"This is what I need," said Mitrovic when asked about the cross from Chancel Mbemba from which he hit the crossbar. "I like crosses into the box." McClaren describes him as an "old type of centre forward" and player himself seems to agree. "I am a real No 9. The penalty box is my place. I like to be in the box."
The problem is that the ball has got to get there first. Ex-Newcastle winger Nobby Solano told The Chronicle: "You look at Mitrovic and think who will supply them? We had Alan Shearer and we knew we had to get the ball to him. How many wingers were there last year who provided assists? Not many. The team needs to be built around supplying him now."
On the face of it, they are trying. Newcastle rank among the top six for crosses in this season's Premier League. But delve deeper and there are concerns. While former Red Star Belgrade goalkeeper Sasa Stamenkovic once said Mitrovic "probably has problems in his head", it's finding that head that's proving the problem for his Newcastle team-mates.
Not only do they have a worse crossing accuracy than the other five, when it comes to completed crosses they are in the bottom half. More worryingly, they have not only put in fewer crosses while Mitrovic has been on the pitch, a lower percentage of their total passes have been crosses when the Serb has been around too.
That would suggest that any blame must lie with the team rather than their forward. While Newcastle have won fewer aerial duels than any other team this season, Mitrovic ranks among the top-five strikers in the country for aerial duels won per 90 minutes. If the ball is put in there, he has the tools to win it. But the delivery must improve.
McClaren's men are not only the joint-lowest goalscorers in this season's Premier League but they have also created the fewest chances. As a result, any expectation that the new man can make the difference must be tempered until this issue can be addressed. Mitrovic seems happy enough with life in the goldfish bowl. But he still needs feeding.
Newcastle v Norwich is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm on Sunday
