An Interesting Stat On Newcastle's Ruthlessness In Front Of Goal

Newcastle United have not found themselves struggling to score goals this season.

The side and in particular Dwight Gayle, have been extremely efficient in front of goal, which is part of the reason that they find themselves top of the league this Christmas.

However, 65%* of their efforts have come from the middle of the pitch this season. Something that is strange, considering that 45% of their touches have come down the right hand side of the pitch.

This may sound like a very uninteresting statistic, however, it could well explain Newcastle's ruthlessness in front of goal. Last season, for example, it seemed as though Daryl Janmaat, Moussa Sissoko and Andros Townsend were forever trying their luck from the right hand side of the pitch, with limited success.

In the case of Sissoko, a lot is usually put down to his attitude and rightly so, but it is also interesting to remember that in the final few games of last season, Sissoko was a far better player playing centrally.

Perhaps the key to Newcastle's goal-scoring is that they are far more patient with their build  up and conservative of where they shoot from.

*all stats are taken from WhoScored.com