Mighty Mitrovic Shoulders Newcastle's Hopes of Top Flight Survival
In 1997, Gala released the hit single ‘Freed From Desire’. 19 years on and Newcastle fans have adopted the song as a chant for striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, with supporters singing ‘Mitro’s on fire, your defence is terrified’ in honour of their young Serb frontman. Indeed, his recent outings suggest he has turned a corner in his bid to make a name for himself in English football.
An indifferent start to life in England following his big money arrival from Anderlecht under the stewardship of Steve McClaren suggested he made the move to the Premier League too soon. However, Newcastle were far from cohesive with McClaren at helm, with the former England manager way out of his depth at St. James’ Park. Indeed, with Rafa Benitez bringing more than an ounce of tactical acumen to the north-east, the performances have improved somewhat, even if the results don’t reflect that.
Unfortunately for Benitez, though, is that the players at his disposal aren’t quite up to the task of staving off relegation, Mitrovic aside. Georginio Wijnaldum and Ayoze Perez may be two of the Magpies’ most technically astute performers, but don’t show the same fight as Mitrovic that is required to help Newcastle beat the drop. Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Norwich was damning, with Benitez’s side now effectively confined to relegation.
The loss at Carrow Road leaves Newcastle six points adrift of safety and are still to face Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham before the end of the season. They are staring relegation in the face and none of the players, bar Mitrovic, seem to be batting an eyelid. Their position was to be expected somewhat following the January acquisitions. Rather than bolster their defence in January, Newcastle opted to improve in midfield and attack, signing Jonjo Shelvey, Henri Saivet, Andros Townsend and Seydou Doumbia.
Shelvey’s impressed in spurts, Saivet’s managed just 148 minutes of league action following his arrival - Doumbia 29 - and Townsend has disappointed. The lack of defensive solidity will likely prove to be their downfall this season, with it perhaps in Benitez’s best interest to now look to outscore the opposition as a means of staving off relegation.
If that is the case between now and the end of the season, he’s fortunate enough to be able to count on a striker of Mitrovic’s ability in attack. The 21-year-old may have just eight league goals to his name this season, a poor return for any striker, but three of those have come in his last two league outings. His brace against Norwich this past weekend earned him a WhoScored rating of 8.06.
It’s all the more impressive when considering Mitrovic registered just 28 minutes of action at Carrow Road. Only Christian Benteke (4) has now scored more goals as a substitute than Mitrovic (3) in the Premier League this season. Benitez’s hands were tied in that the Serbia international sustained a concussion while on international duty and opted against starting the young striker, but it’s fair to say he won’t relegate him to the bench between now and the end of the campaign.
An average of 2.5 shots per game is the most of all Newcastle players and it’s vital Benitez have Mitrovic spearhead the attack for the remainder of the season, injury and suspension aside. His discipline, or lack of it, has proved to be a concern in the past, but recently Mitrovic has been well-behaved. His yellow card in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland was his first in club competitions since the 0-0 draw with Stoke at the end of October, and even that was for taking his shirt off to celebrate his equaliser.
A newfound maturity in fact was evident in the same fixture, where he was perhaps wrongly reprimanded for a shoulder barge on DeAndre Yedlin as Newcastle chased the three points. While he went to argue the decision with Martin Atkinson, he swiftly regained his composure to walk away from the situation when his emotions could easily have got the better of him in the heat of the derby. While he still clearly has the hot streak to his game - 1.6 fouls per game is the most of all Newcastle players - Mitrovic has quickly learned to keep his temper in check, a far cry to the player who received more cards (4) than he scored goals (3) in his opening 11 league appearances for the Magpies.
Of course, Newcastle face a mountainous task on their hands if they are to consolidate their Premier League place. However Mitrovic is beginning to showcase just why Newcastle parted ways with a reported £13m to bring him to England. “The best way to improve is to win the next game and move on. Southampton away will be difficult but we must stay strong,” Mitrovic said on Monday in an attempt to rally his teammates and it’s this spirit that will give Newcastle a fighting - albeit slim - chance of beating the drop.
Can Mitrovic fire Newcastle to safety or as they as good as relegated? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
