Psst - I hear you’ve got Colombia next
TOO MANY CHANCES MISSED IN RUSSIA TO CHANGE MIND OF BOSS ON STRIKER
NUFC Writer IT has been a strange World Cup for Aleksandar Mitrovic.
After a disappointing opening game against Costa Rica, during which he missed a sitter, the Serbia forward then got himself on to the scoresheet during the controversial defeat to Switzerland with a wonderful header.
However, the 23-year-old was also denied a clear penalty, something which led to Serbia players and officials questioning VAR – and even alleging some sort of FIFA conspiracy against their nation.
Wednesday evening was Mitrovic’s opportunity to really put his name into the headlines, however, as Serbia came up against Brazil in what was essentially a knockout tie for a place in the last 16.
With Serbia trailing 1-0, Mitrovic had two excellent opportunities to equalise – but, despite showing quick reflexes to nod a rebound goalwards, he saw an effort cleared off the line before he directed a powerful header straight at the goalkeeper.
Brazil went on to win 2-0 and send Serbia home, though Mitrovic would not have been able to play against Mexico in the first knockout round anyway as he picked up two yellow cards in the group stage.
That ended a three-match run for Mitrovic and Serbia in Russia, during which the forward was presented with 14 chances – and yet scored only once.
He was unlucky with some of his opportunities, of that there is no doubt – particularly when he showed quick reactions to head a ricochet back towards the Brazil goal – but the targetman striker was also wasteful with others.
What the past six months have shown is Mitrovic can thrive in a team built for him, like Fulham were and Serbia are. Yet while Mitrovic netted 12 goals in 17 Championship games and then scored a hat-trick in a friendly against Bolivia, at the World Cup he had a far-less-convincing conversion rate.
A goal at a major tournament is something every player dreams of but, when you are presented with 14 opportunities across three matches – at least five of them gilt-edged chances – then a top-level striker would have scored multiple times.
That is why Rafa Benitez has reservations about Mitrovic leading the line for Newcastle in the Premier League and that is why top clubs who scouted the forward over an extended period before he moved to Tyneside opted against signing the former Anderlecht striker.
What is clear from the World Cup is Mitrovic has not done enough in six months to convince Benitez he can now be ‘trusted.’ The challenge Benitez set the striker when Mitrovic moved to west London on loan in January was for the Serbian to make his inclusion in the Newcastle starting XI indisputable - and, although he has slightly improved his chances of a Tyneside stay, he will still almost certainly depart this summer as long as an alternative forward arrives.
Benitez’s lack of trust in Mitrovic had become obvious to everyone connected to Newcastle over the course of the past two seasons – the Serbian’s zero league starts last term proves it – but this was not a word