So, another uneventful day at the office then?
We need to face the harsh reality and ask, what’s our biggest issue? The answer is clear—we’re not scoring enough goals this season.
This problem isn’t Eddie Howe’s fault. It’s on scouting and recruitment. Howe likely knew our weakness in this area and would have raised it during transfer discussions.
We’ve only scored more than one goal in two out of ten games this season, both late winners against Spurs and Wolves. We even needed penalties to get through cup games against Nottingham Forest and Wimbledon. After the goalless draw against Everton, I wrote about signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin in January as a possible solution. Some agreed, some didn’t, but as more games turn out like Saturday, that point becomes more relevant.
Should we question the first-choice midfield trio of Bruno, Tonali, and Joelinton? It worked well against Brighton but hasn’t been consistent. Who would you drop? Personally, I prefer the work rate of Sean Longstaff or Joe Willock, but I know I’m in the minority.
Is relying too much on Anthony Gordon starting on the left hurting us? It shouldn’t be, but there’s some truth in it. What’s clear is Harvey Barnes needs to start more games. You wouldn’t have left players like Laurent Robert or David Ginola on the bench to come on late, would you? Our biggest issue is scoring goals, and it shouldn’t be. How can a squad with Isak, Wilson, Gordon, Barnes, Tonali, and Guimarães struggle to find goals? That’s where the problem lies.
Last season, despite massive injuries, we still scored goals. Isak and Wilson shared the burden. When both were fit, they often substituted for each other, keeping us in games. But this season, that luck has run out, and it was predictable. It should’ve been addressed during the transfer window instead of chasing an overpriced center-back from a club clearly trying to squeeze us.
Anyone could have seen that relying on Wilson’s fitness was a gamble we couldn’t afford, and it’s coming back to haunt us. I love the player, but the writing was on the wall.
A comparison: Ask any Newcastle fan over 30 who the best defender was in the last 40 years, and most will say Jonathan Woodgate. He was exceptional, but always injured. Selling him to Real Madrid for a profit while he was injured was a masterstroke. Yet, his injuries persisted. I’m not saying we’d get much for Wilson now, but a similar decision last summer could have been wise.
It’s easy to say, “When Wilson is fit, we’ll be fine,” but here we are, ten games in, and he’s yet to make an appearance. The chances of Wilson matching Calvert-Lewin’s eight appearances by Christmas are slim. Last season, I argued that our home form cost us European qualification, and I stand by it. Wilson missed four of six critical home games, and Isak missed two. Both were absent for the Bournemouth draw. Those fine margins cost us points.
This season is shaping up similarly. We’ve missed Isak for three games and only picked up two points from matches against Man City and Everton. Including the Wimbledon match, we’ve had three games where neither striker was available, out of just ten. It’s fair to speculate where we’d be if we had a healthy striker to step in.
My two main concerns? If Isak gets injured again, and when Wilson returns, for how long.
Yesterday’s game screamed for another quality striker to come on or partner Isak. William Osula isn’t the answer, and bringing him on in stoppage time was hardly effective.
I’ve highlighted our home form and the need to improve results from last season’s fixtures. Yesterday was another regression—one point less than last year. It’s not time to panic, but with the transfer window still months away, a move for Calvert-Lewin at £15 million sounds increasingly attractive.
Relying on one class striker with injury issues, another who’s always hurt, and a young, untested player is shortsighted. The problem has been evident for months.
The bottom line? It wasn’t a right winger, center-back, defensive midfielder, or another goalkeeper we needed most. Our failure to secure a reliable striker last summer is the main cause of our struggles today.