Carroll and Lovenkrands deserve their chance next season.
Posted on June 7th, 2010 | 184 Comments |
I think it’s widely percieved that the squad at least needs depth added to it, so for a change I wont be looking at what players we may or may not get in, or indeed whether we are going to spend money or not.
What we can have a look at is what we have in the squad right now, and why not start with having a look at our strikers? Andy Carroll and Peter Lovenkrands have been rather impressive throughout the Championship campaign, and the pair of them have forged quite an effective partnership up front for Newcastle scoring 35 goals between them. The big man/little man combination seems to be working, and it’s an understanding that can only get better in my opinion.
People will point to the fact that these goals were scored in the Championship, and whilst that is true, there is nothing to say that this form and understanding can’t be continued in the Premier League. Both of these players have played in the Premier League before, albeit in more turbulent times, and both have scored goals.
A while ago I looked into the stats of Andy Carroll from our relegation season, and they will read that he made fourteen league appearances scoring three goals, which doesn’t look that impressive, but equally it doesn’t tell the whole story either. Of those fourteen appearances, only six of them came through being a member of the starting line up, with the rest being made up of nominal substitute appearances.
If you work it out, he has scored a goal approximately every 200 minutes. With his improvement in this season just gone, we can realistically expect the minutes between goals to drop, and whilst the 19 goals of last season may not be repeated, I think that double figures in the Premier League would be an achievable target for Carroll in the coming season.
Bit what about his strike partner, Lovenkrands? Will he be ok in the Premier League? The Danish forward is arguably the most technically gifted finisher on our books, and some of his goals last season were very impressive indeed. Again though, people will point to these impressive finishes coming in the Championship.
So let’s have a look at how he performed when he was with us in the Premier League. The record books show Lovenkrands made twelve appearances in our relegation season, and scored three goals along the way. So that is a strike rate of 1 in 4, which isn’t that impressive. But when you throw the fact he was played on the left at times, or as a substitute for a number of his appearances, then his record becomes a little better. Much like Carroll, a double figure goal haul would be a great return from the Dane next year.
I think with Lovenkrands and Carroll up front, we have enough to worry the defences of other teams. The sheer height and aerial prowess of Carroll combined with the speed and movement of Lovenkrands is a combination that not many teams have nowadays, and if used correctly could be of great benefit to us next season.
Lovenkrands in particular deserves his chance to shine after what he has been through recently with the death of his father. Plus there is the fact that he has turned down the chance to represent Denmark at the World Cup this summer so he can spend some time with his family, and so he can return to pre-season training in top condition.
Hats off to him I say.
no doubt they deserve there chance but can they get enough goals