Sheffield United striker, David McGoldrick, saw his Premier League goal drought extent to 22 games this weekend with a blank against West Ham.
The Republic of Ireland striker has suffered in front of goal. Clear-cut chances have been missed, including an open goal at Brighton last month.
David McGoldrick missed a golden chance for United at Brighton last month. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
However, the Blades fans are desperate for McGoldrick to score. Furthermore, his overall performances have been superb this season.
But with McGoldrick seeing his performance levels dip somewhat in recent games and the goals still not flowing, has the time now come for Chris Wilder to go with a different front two?
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Mousset and McBurnie making their case
Obviously, football is a squad game. This is in no way a rant at McGoldrick’s lack of goals nor is it a dig at his performances. That would be harsh, given the fact the forward has been so integral for the Blades.
But it’s impossible to ignore the facts and figures at times. Lys Mousset has scored five times and his miss against West Ham this weekend was the first time one of his shots on target hasn’t resulted in a goal.
McBurnie scored his fourth goal of the season on Friday evening. (Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)
McBurnie, on the other hand, has hit winners in two wins now in the last month. His goal on Friday followed up a winning striker at Brighton in December. Furthermore, McBurnie also rescued a point against Manchester United.
It’s safe to say, then, that McBurnie has earnt the chance of late to be getting regular starts.
Goals win games
It’s one of the oldest cliches in football and one of the most obvious, but goals do, of course, win games of football.
The fact that McGoldrick has failed to hit the net is an issue at the moment. Given the fact his overall contribution in the last three games has not been great, it’s safe to say he could have little in the way of an argument if he was dropped.
Between them, Mousset and McBurnie have nine goals now. That amounts to over a third of all goals scored by the Blades in the Premier League (24).
Lys Mousset has five goals this season for Sheffield United. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
While it’s safe to assume United will stay up now, they can’t take that chance. After Arsenal and then Manchester City this month, the Blades face a run of winnable games. The likes of Norwich, Brighton, and Bournemouth are all set to visit Bramall Lane.
Therefore, it might well be the time over the next two games for Chris Wilder to pair his big-money summer signings and get them ready for a vital month in February.
