Football League World
·8 novembre 2024
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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·8 novembre 2024
The striker has been struggling recently to find the back of the net after joining Rovers in the summer.
This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Blackburn Rovers' form in the Championship has taken a hit in recent weeks, and it has seen them start to drop away from their early play-off heights.
John Eustace's side have lost their last three matches in the league, and have failed to find the back of the net in each of those games, while they also failed to score against West Bromwich Albion in a draw prior to the trio of defeats.
It's a part of their game that has seen them drop to 10th in the Championship from the top six, just four points above the dropzone, despite being 12 places above it currently, with the Lancashire club currently embarking on their worst run of form of the season.
Questions will be cast over their failure to score consistently, especially for Blackburn's strikers, who have all seemingly hit a sticky patch at a similar time.
One of those who has really struggled in front of goal in recent weeks is Makhtar Gueye, with the Rovers striker still yet to find the back of the net in blue-and-white in 13 appearances.
It is a huge cause for concern considering he was brought to the club for a reported seven-figure fee, and there will be a need for him to get firing soon, otherwise this difficult run of form becomes a tough few months and eventually a bad season.
Football League World has asked their Blackburn Fan Pundit, Toby Wilding, for his verdict on the 26-year-old's start to life at Ewood Park and whether the criticism that has come his way has been warranted.
He told FLW: "Obviously, the main job of a striker is scoring goals, so it's a concern when one isn't doing that, and I don't think there's any denying that Gueye should have scored against Stoke last night.
"Even so, as Eustace himself said, it would be harsh to single him out when there are plenty of other attacking options who are missing chances, even among the signings as well, who were brought in to try and keep the goals flowing.
"Certainly, you can't really criticise his work rate either. I think as well, if you look back to last season, he was scoring in the Belgian top flight in a struggling side."
Toby continued: "I mean even at the start of this season with Rovers when he wasn't scoring, he was an absolute menace for defenders. His all-round centre-forward play was outstanding and so there is no doubt that he is a player who, when he is on that sort of form, can do a job for Blackburn.
"So, hopefully, it is just a case of eventually, one will drop kindly for him and things will start to move in the right direction again."
Although it is still relatively early on in the season, and there is still more than half of the campaign, Gueye's lack of goals will be a huge worry to Eustace and Blackburn's supporters, particularly as they have started to dry up for his teammates.
He scored 11 goals in all competitions last season for RWD Molenbeek, but this year it has been a lot more difficult for the striker, and although his performances have been decent, it is this lack of goals that will be the stat that is most noticeable.
The 26-year-old should have scored against Stoke during the week, with his header from six-yards going straight into the ground before flying over the bar. It can be said that he should have done much better with the chance, especially as there was no real pressure around him.
If he does not start to score consistently in the coming months, then it would not be surprising to see Gueye drop further and further down the pecking order at Blackburn, and Eustace must figure out a way to break his forward's duck.
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