Newcastle Toons
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Statistical analysis: Four areas of improvement for Newcastle United

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 28: Yoshinori Muto of Newcastle United celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St James' Park on August 28, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 28: Yoshinori Muto of Newcastle United celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St James' Park on August 28, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United have four points from four games to start the season, but the team’s overall statistics are far from impressive.

Newcastle United have managed to avoid a place among the bottom three after one month of action, but Steve Bruce’s side has a lot of work to do if they want to comfortably avoid relegation this season. At this stage in the season, Newcastle United rank among the bottom five in several categories, but the four categories analyzed below are the most problematic.

Possession/Touches

  • Total touches: 2, 132
  • Premier League rank: 19th

As a result of only averaging 35.25% possession in their first four games, Newcastle United are struggling to get sufficient touches on the ball. It is unacceptable for the Toon to have fewer touches on the ball than newly-promoted sides, and the disparity between Newcastle United and teams like Brighton and Watford should not be between 400 and 500 touches. The Magpies need to play with more composure and be more confident when bringing the ball out from the back.

Passes

  • Total passes: 1,372
  • Premier League rank: 19th

The Magpies’ lack of possession stems from two things: constant pressure from the opposition and poor decision making when they have the ball. Every goal that Newcastle United have scored this season came as a result of stringing together several passes, but this good ball movement is inconsistent. A key issue for this team is that too many meaningless long balls are delivered from the middle of the park instead of spreading the ball out wide and building attacks that way. To put things in a different perspective, Sheffield United and Brighton have completed 300 and 500 more passes than the Toon and the quality of their midfield doesn’t come close to that of Newcastle United.

Shots

  • Total shots: 42
  • Premier League rank: 15th

Newcastle United have looked dangerous on several occasions this season when they hit opponents with counter-attacks, but they often miss a pass or final touch near the goal. As a result, the team ranks among the bottom five for chances created. Steve Bruce’s side have only created more than ten chances twice this season. Accuracy in front of goal also needs to improve. Of the 42 chances created by Newcastle United, only 14 shots have been on target. That statistic needs to change, especially when they host mediocre and inferior sides at St. James’ Park.

Offsides

  • Offside calls: 12
  • Premier League rank: 3rd

Some folks might not view this offside tally as an issue because it shows that the team is trying to press forward. That is true, however, seeing that flag go up 12 times in four games also means too many possible scoring opportunities have been wasted. Most of the offsides have been called when quick through-balls lead players to the penalty area. Miguel Almiron, Joelinton and Christian Atsu have blistering pace and they can blow past defenders to get in dangerous positions with ease, but they need to time their runs better and realize that they can beat most defenders to the ball without a head start.