Misfiring Mitrovic!

Newcastle signed Aleksandar Mitrovic last summer for £13 million. This was following an impressive period of time at Anderlecht where in 90 appearances he scored 44 goals. Currently for Newcastle he has played in 21 games and has scored 4 goals, 3 of which were from open play; 1 was from the penalty spot. So where is it going wrong for Newcastle’s £13 million man?

Earlier in the season it was clear that the main problem for Mitrovic was the lack of service for the big Serbian. He came to Newcastle with the perfect attitude and before he even played was quickly a fan favourite. This due to his aggression and passion which Newcastle have been lacking in recent years. But surely this can only go on for so long before people start questioning whether or not he should be starting every week.

Mitrovic has had the right service as of late. and he has missed glorious chances to score week after week for quite a while now. He is young however, at only 21 years of age which a lot of people seem to forget. He will make mistakes and he will need time to grow as a player. The chances have been there and the service will only get better. Especially with the incoming signing of Andros Townsend from Tottenham Hotspur. He will get more and more opportunities.

The best thing for Mitrovic would be to play alongside a proven goal scorer. It would be even better if they were fast and clinical, someone like Loic Remy would be perfect. This way he could build confidence and Newcastle, in the meantime, would not be lacking the goals that they currently are. Signing a striker is a must for Newcastle.

Despite Mitrovic missing golden opportunities it can be said that Newcastle have greatly benefitted from his presence, these past few weeks especially. He is playing a lot smarter than he was at the start of the season. He brings other players into the game and is an absolute nightmare for opposing centre-backs. He is aggressive and a great target man. Goals will come.

It would be a lot more worrying if he wasn’t getting into the positions that he is where he could score. He is playing well, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before he starts scoring. He did come to Newcastle with a great record but, no offence to the Belgian League, the Premier League is completely different. He will take time to adapt to the game here. Again, he is only 21! He needs to be given time.