Talking Tactics

Why are Newcastle struggling for goals?

By Adrian Clarke 1 Mar 2023
Newcastle Talking Tactics graphic showing Almiron, Wilson and Guimaraes

Adrian Clarke explains reasons for Eddie Howe's side lacking a clinical edge in 2023

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Newcastle United

With just three goals scored across their seven Premier League matches in 2023, Newcastle’s attack is misfiring ahead of their crucial trip to Manchester City.

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Goals have been an issue for Eddie Howe’s side, who have only registered more than one goal in one of their last nine matches.

This heaps greater pressure on Newcastle to maintain their outstanding defensive record, especially facing a team who have scored 41 goals at the Etihad Stadium this season in only 12 matches.

Newcastle's form has been excellent all season, losing just twice so far, both to Liverpool.

However, dropped points have become more commonplace since the turn of the year, and the principle reason is wasteful finishing.

Newcastle's goals/shot comparison 22/23
  MW1-9 MW10-17 MW 18-24
Goals 12 19 3
Expected Goals 14.6 12.3 11.2
Shot conv. rate (exc. blocks) 14% 26% 4%
Shots inside box (inc. blocks) 91 76 72
Touches opp. box 264 212 218
Total big chances 21 20 22

From early October up to a 3-0 win at Leicester City on Boxing Day, Newcastle produced an impressive 26 per cent shot conversion rate.

In that spell, when they claimed 22 points from a possible 24 and outscored their Expected Goals metric by 6.7.

Almiron's goal v AFC Bournemouth

By comparison, Newcastle's conversion rate has been just four per cent in the seven matches that followed.

Frustratingly, this has left them 8.2 goals behind their xG tally for that period.

They have fashioned more quality opportunities than at any other stage of the campaign, but too many of those chances have been squandered.

Open-play struggles

Clinical finishing is always integral to success, but for Newcastle, it is arguably more important than most because they create fewer chances than their rivals.

Shots from open play 2022/23
Club Open-play shots PL rank
Man City 305 1st
Arsenal 295 2nd
Man Utd 288 3rd
Liverpool 273 4th
Newcastle 194 14th

They have been incredibly dangerous from set-pieces all season, but in open play Newcastle are very much a work in progress.

As a team, they must produce more periods of sustained pressure and rely less on individuals delivering moments of inspiration.

Relying on Trippier

The likes of Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Joe Willock, and Bruno Guimaraes are all enjoying terrific campaigns, but their productivity inside the final third needs to improve.

Almiron is a good example. He has scored scored 10 Premier League goals, but has produced only one big chance in the whole of 2022/23.

Callum Wilson and Guimaraes will also be disappointed to have only laid on two big chances apiece.

Newcastle's chief creators 2022/23
Chances created Chances created in open play Big chances created
Trippier 70 Trippier 23 Trippier 18
Joelinton 19 Joelinton 19 Longstaff 5
Willock 19 Willock 19 Willock 5
Guimaraes 18 Guimaraes 18 Joelinton 4
Longstaff 18 Longstaff 18 Saint-Maximin 3

As the table above outlines, there is too much reliance on Kieran Trippier to produce chance-creating deliveries, in open play and from set-pieces.

While improving Newcastle's finishing is important, so too is the need for their attacking midfielders and forwards to make creative contributions on a regular basis.

If they are able to find a balance between attack and defence, Newcastle will be a formidable force.

Also in this series

Part 1: Selles' hostile Saints ready to tackle relegation rivals Leicester
Part 3: How Martinez added steel to Man Utd's defence

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