Newcastle United's lack of cutting edge up front was a major problem in their defeats to Coventry and Aston Villa, and manager Matthias Jaissle is waiting for the green light on Will Osula's fitness to unleash a clear solution.
When Newcastle turned to Osula in the 56th minute of their defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend, there was a huge roar from the crowd and a palpable sense of relief that the Danish international forward was back to fitness.
Osula started the season as Newcastle's central striker against Liverpool, but an injury picked up in that game has kept him out of action for a couple of months.
Osula's return offers hope
The 23-year-old is still raw, but club insiders described his numbers as 'off the charts' over the summer as he looked to build on an end-of-season run of five goals in the final seven games of last term.
The fact he picked up an injury in the first game of the season was a big blow, and in his absence, Yoane Wissa and Matias Fernandez-Pardo have mustered one goal between them.
If Fernandez-Pardo was wasteful against Coventry, missing two gilt-edged opportunities up front before being moved to the right-wing against Villa, it was Wissa who was guilty of that on Saturday.
Wissa's struggles in front of goal
Wissa took seven shots against Villa with an xG (expected goals) of 0.47, which accounted for almost half of Newcastle's xG total of 0.99, with a huge chance late in the second half catching the ire of supporter frustration.
The 30-year-old carried the ball towards the edge of the box and, with Harvey Barnes in a good position to his right and Bazoumana Toure in a good position to his left, Wissa chose to take the shot on and fired it wide of Zion Suzuki's near post.
It was a moment indicative of a striker struggling for goals - Wissa hasn't scored for Newcastle since the 2-0 win over Tottenham in August, although he has scored twice for DR Congo in September - and a team also lacking inspiration in the final third.
Newcastle's cross-heavy approach
Newcastle flooded Villa's penalty box with 25 crosses in the game - Barnes alone attempted 11 - which led to 37 touches in the opponent's box. But they managed just one shot on target through Sven Botman from a set-piece.
How they find that inspiration in Sunday's trip to Crystal Palace is now a big conundrum for Jaissle to solve. Fernandez-Pardo may need time away from the spotlight of being Newcastle's number nine, and Wissa looks more comfortable in the number 10 role than as a central striker. It was telling his average position on Saturday was deeper than Barnes, Fernandez-Pardo and even Joe Willock.
If Osula is fit, he feels like the obvious solution, and he has the physical attributes Jaissle has sorely missed up front. Chronicle Live was told over the summer the 'phone was ringing off the hook' from clubs gauging Newcastle's position on potentially selling the 23-year-old, but the Magpies stayed firm.
They believe they have the raw ingredients to make a top striker, and it is Jaissle's job to find the right recipe. If he is fit enough, Palace feels like the right time to make a fresh start on that.
