This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Jonjo Shelvey has maintained a place in the side after earning a recall to the starting line-up against West Ham, but despite his best efforts against Aston Villa, he could do little to prevent his side falling to a defeat.
It was all too easy for the Villans, which makes matters worse, particularly in the first half. Not only were the home side 2-0 up at the break but the Magpies only managed two shots by that stage, and their passive approach made things far too simple for Dean Smith’s side.
Newcastle’s negativity means Steve Bruce is partly to blame for the way he set-up, but it was also due to a lack of quality on the ball.
Several players were sloppy in possession with Joelinton and DeAndre Yedlin achieving a pass accuracy of 61% and 71% respectively, and that means they gifted possession back to the opposition just moments after winning it back far too often.
As a result, Shelvey was the only player who looked to get on the ball to try and dictate things, but the few options in front of him reduced his passing range, though a clever cross-field pass in the opening period did find Yedlin in a promising position.
That was a fine example of the quality Shelvey possesses, but as the only player in the team capable of such skill he has far too much responsibility on his shoulders.
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The former Swansea man made a total of ten long balls on Monday, as per WhoScored, which shows he was looking to get the attack going as often as he could, which is a struggle when his team only had 38% of the ball.
His one key pass also demonstrated his best efforts were on show, but he shouldn’t be expected to carry the team in terms of passing, and the fact he does is a mark against Mike Ashley.
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While Isaac Hayden performs his role to good effect, winning the ball back with 2.9 tackles per game this season and therefore making life difficult for the opponent, a lack of spending has led to a dearth of quality in centre-midfield.
Newcastle’s shocking goal return of 11 scored in 13 league games – with many of those from set-pieces – highlights the urgent need for creativity, yet there is nobody to turn to in the current squad.
Sean Longstaff returning from suspension will be a boost but he too lacks the cutting edge in the final third to thread balls through and create chances for the forwards, as evidenced by his average of 1.4 key passes per game.
Hayden and Ki-Sung Yeung are examples of Ashley signings brought in on the cheap – costing a combined total of £2.6m – so it is little surprise Bruce and Newcastle are limited as a result.
As a consequence, there is too much expectation on Shelvey. He made three tackles and did his best to perform a balanced role, but until there is a player to share his burden in the passing department, similar performances to the one at Villa Park could be repeated.
In lighter news, several Newcastle fans recently found amusement with a comment made by Allan Saint-Maximin on BBC Radio Newcastle.
