The Newcastle United winger is now attracting criticism of his own.
For weeks the usual suspects have received the majority of criticism when it comes to Newcastle United’s performances. However Matt Ritchie has now found himself joining a group that includes Joselu, Mo Diame and Javier Manquillo to name a few.
So is it fair to add the 28-year-old to that list, or is it more a case of a lack of quality around him ultimately bringing Ritchie down to that level?
In truth it is probably a bit of both. However, given his age and his experience, Ritchie really should be leading by example, not delivering the kind of performance that saw him hammered after he left the field against Chelsea.
At his best, Ritchie is one of Newcastle’s finest players, and he can only do so much when the attackers ahead of him fail to convert the simplest of chances.
That said, Dwight Gayle has proved he can cut the mustard against the Premier League’s very best, with goals against Manchester United and Chelsea in recent weeks, and with a little more supply he could turn those single strikes into braces.
Ritchie’s string of assists early in the campaign showed just what he is capable of, with Newcastle winning three on the bounce and the former Bournemouth man setting up five in the process.
But since then the winger has managed only two assists – in the recent draw with West Bromwich Albion – and that should not paper over the cracks.
Newcastle need their best players performing effectively, to stop a worrying run of form becoming a whole lot worse.
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