Misfiring Joselu’s place in team under threat
HEAT IS ON FOR TOON’S SUMMER SIGNING
Sports writer A TOP-CLASS striker would have taken the opportunity. Dwight Gayle probably would have done too. Some may even argue Aleksandar Mitrovic would have at least got it on target too.
But it was Joselu, Newcastle United’s £5m summer acquisition from Stoke City, who is currently operating up front for the Magpies.
It was therefore to the 27-year-old that the chance fell. Everyone in the Amex anticipated the goal gaping as he turned and hit the shot – yet his effort slid past the far post.
That now makes it four clear-cut opportunities – at least two of them golden – spread across two successive matches that the German-born Spaniard has missed.
The first three did not prove costly – but the fourth most certainly did. It was only going to be a matter of time before Newcastle would be punished for such wastefulness.
Had Newcastle broken their own transfer record in order to sign a proven Premier League forward – Daniel Sturridge, Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfried Bony were among the top-flight strikers available this summer – then finishing would unlikely have been an issue for United.
As it is, the transfer window simply did not pan out as Rafa Benitez had hoped or indeed expected.
And the Spaniard was forced to turn his attentions to Joselu.
A journeyman forward to a certain degree – he has enjoyed reasonable successful in Germany, as well as in Spain, before a failed spell at Stoke – it is Joselu’s all-round game which Benitez admires.
The Newcastle manager always acknowledged that there was some serious work to do in order to improve Joselu’s strike-rate, and that is proving to be the case.
Despite his hat-trick of misses against his former club the previous weekend, Benitez retained faith with Joselu for the trip to Brighton.
The primary reason behind that? It is because Benitez likes what Joselu brings to his side, how he balances the team.
Goals may not be flowing for Joselu – perhaps unsurprisingly given that he cost United just £5m during the summer – but his hard work and ability to offer Newcastle a focal point ensured that he retained his place in the starting XI.
But, despite all the positive work he may do out of possession and away from his finishing, his lack of a clinical touch in front of goal remains a concern.
The 27-year-old’s glorious chance came midway through the first half.
Ayoze Perez fizzed in a dangerous low cross, and Brighton’s defence deflected the ball towards Joselu, who hit a shot just past the far post on the turn from four yards out.
In his defence, the forward was unsighted and he showed decent agility to spin his body around and unleash the shot, but he should still have hit the target at the very least from such close range.
Gayle, who came on for the final 20 minutes at the Amex, would almost certainly have scored from such a position – if he had the sharpness in his legs that he did during the first half of last season. With Mitrovic now also available again after suspension, the Serbian will come into contention for a starting role against Liverpool on Sunday. Despite Joselu’s positive contributions around the pitch, until he starts scoring regularly then question marks over his starting place will always persist. This was always likely to be the main concern about a player who cost just £5m and whose record over the past few years is far from prolific. If he is to stay in the team ahead of Gayle and Mitrovic, then Joselu simply must start taking some of these opportunities. Eventually such profligacy was going to cost United – and, on the south coast, it did.