Pundit warns Nathan Jones about underlying Charlton Athletic issue | OneFootball

NTT20's George Elek doesn't think that Charlton Athletic are completely safe from the relegation conversation, despite sitting ninth

EFL pundit and Not The Top 20's George Elek believes that Charlton Athletic aren't safe from the early-season relegation conversation, despite the Addicks heading into the ongoing international break sitting ninth in the Championship.

The Addicks were the early frontrunners in the second tier this season, and the final side to have a 100% winning record when they won their first three games of the campaign. However, since then, it's been five without a win, scoring just twice in that run.

Three draws in that run see them on 12 points through eight games and ninth in the table. They've conceded 10 goals so far, but with seven of those coming in two games, conceding three in the other six is encouraging, too.

What's not encouraging, though, is their underlying numbers. Charlton have generated the lowest xG total in the Championship, and are 22nd in the xG difference ranks, too. According to Opta's expected tables, the Addicks are second-from-bottom.

George Elek analyses Charlton Athletic's start to the season

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It's because of those underlying numbers that EFL pundit George Elek has expressed some "concern" over Charlton's prospects for the remainder of the campaign.

On the latest episode of Not The Top 20 podcast, Elek and co-host Ali Maxwell discuss who they think could get relegated from the Championship as we navigate the first international break.

"A team who I am concerned about, who are ninth, is Charlton Athletic," Elek said. "They fit the bill as a side who have started the season well, think everything is okay.

"But actually, when you drill into the performances so far this season, after a brilliant start to the campaign, they beat Preston, which hasn't aged great; more importantly, they beat West Ham away, and they beat Derby.

"Since the 29th of August, they've picked up three points, all draws, two of them at home, one against Pompey and the other against QPR, both 0-0, so no goals scored."

What's more alarming for Elek is that their performances, West Ham aside, haven't been impacted by game-state, so there's little excuse for poor underlying numbers. Against Preston, they led from the 56th minute; against Derby, they went behind and led from the 80th minute.

Therefore, despite most of their games being level, or with them being behind, the Addicks are still amongst the worst sides in the division for creating chances.

"They have one of the worst xG differences so far, and it wouldn't be massively game-state-affected apart from the West Ham game," Elek explained. "6.1 is their negative xG [difference], sitting 22nd, third worst, alongside Watford and Derby."

George Elek backs Nathan Jones in the Charlton Athletic dugout, but admits it'll be a difficult job to keep them up

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Elek would go on to state that, while there are players in the Charlton squad that he likes, he has reservations over whether their strong starts can be maintained over the course of the campaign.

Tyreece Campbell, for example, has been the surprise star for Nathan Jones' side this season, scoring more goals this season through eight league games than he did in 45 last year.

Evidently, the change in formation to re-incorporate wingers has benefited the Jamaican international, but with his best scoring season being seven in the 2024/25 campaign, there's understandably still a lot for him to prove.

"You talk about players, Tyreece Campbell has started the season incredibly well, but will that finishing streak continue?" Elek questioned. "Campbell, Lloyd Jones, these are players I like, but are they going to be elevated towards being top Championship players?"

Nevertheless, the pundit feels that if any manager can get a tune out of a squad that is, on paper, one of the weakest in the division, it'd be Nathan Jones, who is easily one of the best coaches in the EFL when it comes to raising player level.

But with Charlton only just narrowly avoiding the drop last year, Elek feels that the same may happen again this time around.

"Nathan Jones comes with a huge amount of respect, and if anyone will make them okay, it will be him," he concluded.

"But they weren't miles off the relegation zone last season, and it was only on the penultimate day when they staved it off, despite a good start. They deserve to be in this conversation."

Charlton Athletic will hope they can replicate last season and secure a third straight Championship campaign

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There are certain parallels between the start of this season and last, where Charlton, with the momentum that League One play-off winners can often have, began the term brilliantly and sat inside the top six at the first international break.

Ironically, Charlton has an identical record and league position to 12 months ago. They've just scored one fewer and conceded four more than this time last season.

It wouldn't be until November that the Addicks began their slide down the table, kickstarted by a five-game losing run. The focus at the Valley this time around will be ensuring that, if a slide does happen, it isn't as drastic, and that they are clear of any relegation worries come late April.

Ultimately, that's the main goal for Charlton this season: securing a third consecutive campaign at Championship level. For a side whose recent history has been in League One, consolidating in the second tier will allow for more investment to try and get them towards being an outsider for the play-offs.