Today, we’ll be comparing a former Newcastle United striker with a current one – we will be looking at Aleksandar Mitrovic and Alexander Isak, then we’ll decide who we think the better player is.
This season, Mitrovic is clearly having the better campaign. He’s scored eleven goals in the Premier League (including goals against Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham) and has provided two assists, while Isak has just three goals and no assists.
However, you have to remember how limited Isak’s game time has been. The Swedish international has only featured in seven Premier League games this year (only four of which were starts) due to a hamstring injury that left him on the sidelines for over two months.
Additionally, Newcastle have a much deeper squad than Fulham’s. When fit, Isak needs to contend with Callum Wilson (and Chris Wood, before he moved to Nottingham Forest) for a place in the XI – unlike Mitrovic, who is virtually the first name on Marco Silva’s team sheet.
While Mitrovic is the smarter, more experienced centre forward, Isak does have some physical attributes that are greater than the Serb’s. For example, when breaking with the ball, Isak is lightning quick – Mitrovic, meanwhile, relies on his know-how to get himself into goal scoring positions.
Isak, 23, is an inch taller than Mitrovic, making him a more effective target man in theory – this may sound menial, but in a league such as the Premier League, these fine margins can be the difference between winning and losing.
On top of this, Mitrovic’s disciplinary record is rough at best. He’s already been yellow carded five times this season – Isak, on the other hand, has a squeaky clean record.
Mitrovic may be the better player for now, with his superior finishing, intelligence and movement – but Isak isn’t far behind him and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him overtake the 28-year-old sooner rather than later. Mitrovic is in his prime and will likely plateau soon – Isak, meanwhile, is getting better with every game.
Can Isak deliver when Newcastle take on Manchester United in the final of the League Cup this Sunday?