Newcastle United's goalscoring problems could leave them in serious trouble this season, according to Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith, who has warned of growing unrest on Tyneside if the issue is not addressed.
The Magpies sit 12th in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw at Fulham before the international break. They created a number of chances but failed to convert them, with Jacob Murphy's long-range strike earning a point.
Strikers drawing blanks
Matthias Jaissle started with a front two of William Osula and Yoane Wissa, but the duo drew a blank and now have only two goals between them this season.
Former Premier League striker and Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith believes the Magpies boss will be concerned by the lack of goals from his forward players and says it is an issue that needs rectifying quickly.
"They don't look like they're solving it at the moment, I'd say," said Smith. "Wissa started the season well, didn't he? And then he got injured, and Osula did the same.
"There's a lot of uncertainty there. They've had some awful results, those two defeats to Everton in the league and the cup."
Reliance on wide men
Smith says the Magpies are depending more on their wide men, with Harvey Barnes, Anthony Elanga and Jacob Murphy contributing goals. However, he warned that without a firing centre forward, the team could break down.
"But yeah, they're depending more on their wide men. Harvey Barnes has been in amongst the goals, Anthony Elanga's got a couple, Jacob Murphy got that goal. But if you haven't got a centre forward firing, it can lead to the team breaking down a little bit. So if I were Jaissle, I'd be a bit concerned about that, I think."
Murphy's strike against Fulham was crucial, and Smith believes the wingers are helping keep Jaissle and United's head above the water during a difficult period that has seen the manager come under scrutiny. He thinks the unrest will continue to grow if more answers are not found.
"As I said, they [the wingers] got some goals. Harvey Barnes has always got a goal in him," Smith added to Bestbettingsites.co.uk. "I'm not quite sure about Jaissle; he likes an open game, doesn't he? So that's not easy to sustain if you're not playing well, if you haven't got the right players in form. So a lot of question marks there. I would imagine there'd be a fair bit of unrest on Tyneside."
