Papiss Cisse is offside a lot. If there's one thing that stands out in his performances for Newcastle United this season, it's his tendency to fall victim to the assistant referee's flag. Obviously, this affects his goals.
He could've had a hat-trick against Benfica, and his disallowed goal against Sunderland would've brought the game level with 28 minutes to play.
In his derby "goal," Carlos Cuellar played him onside but the flag went up. How much it had to do with the name on the back of the No.9 shirt we'll never know, but it's not out of the question to suggest that his reputation makes him an easy target for the flag.
Because of this, he should be scoring many more goals than he does. It's a facet of his game that cannot be allowed to regress, and Newcastle have to work him tirelessly in the offseason, ensuring that he times his runs properly and reads defences better. He's too easy to fool right now and every week we see the last defender stepping up and catching Cisse out.
The Senegalese striker has 13 goals in 42 appearances this season, across all competitions. Although it was unrealistic to expect him to continue the blinding form that announced his arrival last year, his current tally isn't good enough for the No. 1 striker on a team that finished fifth last year.
Well, part of Cisse's current predicament dates back to the injuries Newcastle suffered; injuries that kept nearly all of their creative players off the field. Cisse thrives on good service, so when Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye were out of the side, his opportunities went with them.
There was also the fact that he was trying to compete with Demba Ba until January—a striker with a style of play too similar to his own. Cisse and Ba would regularly make the same runs and get in each other's way. Alan Pardew implemented a 4-4-2 system to ensure that neither striker would be forced out wide, but it reduced the effectiveness of Cisse more than Ba.
Eight of Cisse's 13 goals have arrived since January, which coincided with the arrival of the Toon's new French recruits, along with the return of Cabaye. Although the likes of Yoan Gouffran and Moussa Sissoko have added goals, the initial spark from their arrival has died down, leaving Cisse to carry the burden.
Since the beginning of March, Newcastle have scored seven goals. Cisse has scored five of them. If he doesn't score, Newcastle are in trouble.
Pardew needs to re-consider his starting 11, based around Cisse. Just pushing him onto the pitch every week isn't going to bring results. Cisse has shown a useful tendency to grab late, game-saving goals recently—much like Ba did in the opening few games—but those often occur as a result of the Magpies throwing everyone forward.
He's bound to find more opportunities from attacking in numbers, and throwing everyone forward is obviously not a long-term solution. Pardew needs to give Cisse more chances per game than he currently enjoys, and in order to do that, he has to say goodbye to Jonas Gutierrez.
No one is doubting the Argentinian's work ethic, but he is in the side to create chances, and has zero assists for the season. I've long been in favour of Sylvain Marveaux's inclusion in the starting 11 and been continually frustrated by his omission.
In contrast to Gutierrez, Marveaux has four Premier League assists in his limited time on the field—the most of any Newcastle player this campaign. Yet it's only been recently that the French midfielder has been elevated to a starting role.
If Cisse is to flourish, Pardew must completely reassess his team in terms of goals and chances. They have the players to propel the team back into the upper echelons of the league, but they are stifled by the manager's conservatism and refusal to drop favoured players.
With Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Marveaux, Gouffran and Sissoko behind him, there's no reason why Cisse can't reach 20 goals next year. They are creative and capable, offering the skill and pace to stretch defences and supply decent crosses. If Cisse can fix his offside habit, he'll be as feared as he was last season.
Via: [Live -] Online - TV] Club freedom - CA Tigre - Copa Libertadores
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