The Serbian is out of favour under Rafael Benitez despite Newcastle United’s goal woes.
Newcastle United’s return to the Premier League has been the definition of solid if not spectacular.
The Magpies are sitting comfortably five points clear of the relegation zone, but their steady start to the season has relied on defensive application rather than the attacking ingenuity which is adored by the St James’ Park faithful.
With Rafael Benitez’s side having only managed 10 goals in 11 league games, Newcastle fans have been confused by the absence of Aleksandar Mitrovic, the scorer of one of those goals in his only two appearances.
The Serbian has not started a league game all season and has featured off the bench just once since August.
However, the way that Benitez has got Newcastle playing suggests they would be no less toothless with Mitrovic in the team, because the 23-year-old target man’s best source of goals relies on good service into the box.
Newcastle average 3.4 accurate crosses per game – only three clubs in the Premier League average fewer.
Wingers Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu prefer to come inside and get little attacking support from the full-backs.
The Magpies rank much higher for inaccurate crosses – seventh in the divison with an average of 15.4 per match.
Their total crosses per game of 18.8 is only the 12th highest, which reflects their league position.
But to get the most out of an aerial asset such as Mitrovic, Newcastle would need to peppering the box with quality delivery, and the statistics show that their crosses are neither consistent enough in volume or accuracy.
Benitez will have to find another way to get his side scoring.
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