Newcastle United need key players to replicate 2010-11 numbers

Newcastle United are hoping at least two players can score in double figures this season.

One common theme surrounding Newcastle United since their promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2016-17 season has been their lack of goals.

In the six seasons leading up the club’s most recent relegation, the Magpies averaged 47 goals per season, but that number has decreased to an average of 39 goals over the last three seasons.

Defensive tactics certainly placed a ceiling on the overall output for Newcastle United in recent years, but the lack of striking quality up top was also a key factor. The 2018-19 campaign serves as an interesting case, though.

Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon both reached double figures with 12 and 11 goals, respectively, but no one else stepped up in that department as Fabian Schar was the third-highest scorer with four goals.

This term, Newcastle United are blessed with some dynamic players who are capable of regularly scoring goals, but the Toon Army is afraid that Steve Bruce will find a way to hold them back.

The quartet of Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron, and Ryan Fraser started together for the first time last weekend, but they spent most of the game trying to recover the ball.

That needs to change in order for the team to get the best possible output from these players. As things stand, Wilson is showing fans that he was worth every penny of the £20m transfer fee that was paid for his services.

The England international leads the team with four goals in six games. Saint-Maximin is also on the scoresheet with a goal against Burnley.

The expectation among fans is to see Almiron and Fraser get more minutes as starters going forward, so the hope is that they, too, join in on what could be a scoring festival. That being said, a primary example from the past that the coaching staff should set as the objective for the aforementioned attacking players can be found ten seasons ago.

In the 2010-11 campaign, Newcastle United witnessed Kevin Nolan score 12 goals, Andy Carroll had 11 goals to his name, and three other players scored six goals each. With the talent Bruce has at his disposal in the final third this season, there is no reason why similar numbers cannot be replicated.

What do you think – do the current attacking players have what it takes to score between 30 and 35 goals for the Toon this season? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.