Loads of Newcastle United supporters have been reacting on social media, after it was shared that the Toon top the Premier League table for offsides recorded during the opening rounds of fixtures.
According to official Premier League data, Newcastle’s players have been judged offside on 20 occasions from the opening five games of the campaign, which is four more than second-place Aston Villa and 17 more than Watford.
The Hornets are the side to have seen the offside flag raised the least so far this term, with the Vicarage Road natives only seeing three attacks called short, while the average in the English top-flight is 9.3 from a total of 186 calls.
Newcastle’s former club-record purchase Miguel Almiron, who is still waiting for his first Magpies goal (TransferMarkt) following his £21million transfer (The Guardian), has been the player at fault for most of Newcastle’s offside calls, with the Paraguayan flagged on nine occasions – the most by a single player in the Premier League this season.
Joelinton, Christian Atsu and Yoshinori Muto, meanwhile, have each been judged offside on three occasions this term, which is the joint-13th most in the top-flight, while Isaac Hayden and Jetro Willems share the Toon’s remaining two calls.
Burnley striker Chris Wood led the Premier League for offsides last season, with the New Zealander flagged on 53 occasions, 15 more than second-placed Brighton & Hove Albion forward Glenn Murray and 33 more than Newcastle’s highest-ranked player Salomon Rondon (20).
Almiron and Atsu were both flagged as offside on four occasions last season, while Muto saw the flag raised twice – less than Ayoze Perez (9), Kenedy (5), Joselu (4) and DeAndre Yedlin (4).
Newcastle fans have been reacting to their standing by suggesting players like Muto and Almiron may need the offside rule explained to them, while others focused on how their side have played under Steve Bruce’s tenure to cause the excessive offside calls.
Here are a selection of the messages shared…
Almiron needs that rule explained to him
— Geordie Bin Dipper (@Twuntfeatures) September 16, 2019
You could look at it two ways we are getting very close to breaking the defensive line or the other it’s poor forward play #Nufc
— Stephen Coates (@stephencoates30) September 16, 2019
Consistency from midfield… which we haven’t had.
— Phil (@sparxx) September 16, 2019
Mainly Because when we get the ball instead of playing out from the back our players decide to just smash it up the field. Happened so many times against Liverpool
— Ben Lowe (@BenArfaLowe) September 16, 2019
Muto was a joke when he came on. Worse than shola for offside, when he is looking across the line too
— Joseph Parker (@JosephPau1) September 16, 2019
So many of these are down to laziness, forward players just not making enough of an effort to get back into an on side position when an attack breaks down before the next attack.
— Ian Biggins (@IanBiggins) September 16, 2019
How is that possible . Don’t we need to be in the opponents half to be offside
— Tony Henderson (@tonyhenderson73) September 16, 2019
19 were Muto on Saturday. Someone needs to educate him on the rules.
— vic bates (@victorbates) September 16, 2019
Which is funny when we play one up front with zero support
— Vickers (@TinoVickers) September 16, 2019
Muto and Almiron constantly straying offside, but annoyingly also seen 3 or so where we’re onside but the got flagged. Remember one was Atsu against Spurs when he was through
— Matthew (@JB4t00n) September 16, 2019
19 of them are muto aswell
— shaun johnston (@shauni46) September 16, 2019
