The truth about Newcastle United, goals and Alexander Isak narrative | OneFootball

Newcastle United start the season not scoring many goals, failing to score in all three away matches, only four goals scored in the three games at home, what can you expect when now missing Alexander Isak?

I think that is the very clear narrative across the media.

Indeed, it is something that many Newcastle United fans are also buying into.

However, is scoring only four goals in the first six matches of the 2025/26 season really all about Alexander Isak?

Eddie Howe was asked about his team and scoring goals on Tuesday morning, at his pre-Bradford press conference :

“It’s up to everybody to chip in with goals. Historically we’ve done that really well. Our defenders have been regular goalscorers, either from set plays or open play. We’re looking at sources of goals from everywhere and we can’t be reliant on any one department. The creativity of the team in the midfield and the wide areas has been really strong for us and our full-backs have been some of our best attackers in recent seasons and that has to be the case again.”

If only Alexander Isak was still at Newcastle United everything would have been fine, more goals scored than we would now what to do with.

Does this match the reality though?

Let’s take the 2024/25 season for example.

The top four clubs when it came to scoring goals in the Premier League were 86 scored by Liverpool, 72 by Man City, 69 for Arsenal, Newcastle United scoring 68.

When you add in the cup matches, Newcastle United scored 88 goals across the 2024/25 season.

Hang on though…

The devil though is in the detail, as it so often is.

In their opening 16 matches (all competitions) of the 2024/25 season, Newcastle United scored 18 goals.

In 12 of their first 16 games last season, Eddie Howe’s side scored either one goal or no goals at all.

It wasn’t until 27 October 2024 when Alexander Isak scored his second goal of the season, in the opening ten matches last season Isak contributed only one goal, a tap in when Murphy’s run and pass gave him an open goal to aim at to ensure United won 2-1 against Tottenham at SJP in the Premier League, Tonali getting his first Premier League minutes in that game for some ten months, due to his suspension.

A few facts from Newcastle United in 2024/25

In the first 16 games of last season up to the start of December, Newcastle managed 18 goals.

The breakdown of those first 16 matches when it came to how many goals scored in a match was:

0 goals scored – Three matches

1 goals scored – Nine matches

2 goals scored – Three matches

3 goals scored – One match

Then came Liverpool…

Ironically, it was the match against runaway league leaders Liverpool when everything seemed to change, on the goals front especially.

The 4th December 2024 saw that brilliant 3-3 draw.

Including that Liverpool match at SJP, the final 32 Newcastle United games (all competitions) of the 2024/25 season produced 70 goals

From 18 goals in 16 matches to 70 in the next 32, pretty much doubling the average number of goals per game.

The breakdown of those final 32 matches of the 2024/25 season when it came to how many goals Newcastle Unoited scored in a match was:

0 goals scored – Four matches

1 goals scored – Five matches

2 goals scored – Five matches

3 goals scored – Six matches

4 goals scored – Four matches

5 goals scored – One match

Indeed, when you factor in that Newcastle United eventually ran out of steam and failed to score in the final two games of the season against Arsenal and Everton. Starting with that 3-3 v Liverpool, only twice in 30 games did Newcastle fail to score and in 23 of the 30 NUFC scored at least two goals.

Moving forward

Nobody can say for sure what will happen as we move forward BUT I am very confident that Newcastle United will score a lot of goals this season.

In the 2022/23 season when Newcastle United went on to finish fourth in the Premier League and get to Wembley, in only two of the seven opening Premier League games did Eddie Howe’s side score two or more goals.

In the 2023/24 season, NUFC only scoring two or more goals in one of the opening five PL matches.

The 2024/25 season, Eddie Howe’s team scoring two or more goals in only two of the first 10 PL matches. Yet going on to qualify for the Champions League AND win a trophy.

I think there are plenty of factors you can point to when it comes to the low number of goals so far this season.

All of the issues that undermined the start to the season, especially Alexander Isak on strike and the two forwards signed so late in the window. Then to compound that, Yoane Wissa instantly injured, Ramsey also getting an early injury, whilst Anthony Gordon suspended for three matches.

Eddie Howe has looked to get his defensive shape and tightness in place early on each season and no doubt with so many negative factors impacting in recent weeks and months, feeling the need to do so even more this time.

Luck and fine margins also going against United so far and such a tough opening set of six matches. Playing Liverpool and Barcelona, trips to Villa and Bournemouth were viewed as two of the toughest we’d have this season, Newcastle did beat Wolves but were down to very limited options for Eddie Howe when travelling to promoted Leeds.

You can see these as excuses if you like BUT for me they are simply reasons that help explain the relatively slow start to the season in terms of goals and points.

For me, the performances have been a lot better than the points and goals outcomes so far. The team could and should have still done better than they have, but this is not doom and gloom, it is simply Eddie Howe slowly but surely getting his team up to speed, at both ends of the pitch.

I think that when everything starts to click, Newcastle United will prove a formidable opponent this season, even without Alexander Isak…