It’s perhaps a mark of how good things are going at Newcastle United that despite the fact Chris Wood is still yet to get off the mark, his lack of goals isn’t yet a real concern.
Wood’s drought in-front of goal is a lot easier to deal with given United are unbeaten in the Premier League in 2022 which has resulted in their league position looking a lot healthier than it was at the turn of the year.
There is no doubting Wood’s efforts since his £25m move from Burnley - he has certainly been a useful asset in a run of games where United could ill afford to slip up.
Wood’s aeriel strength has been particularly noticed with the striker winning 65 of his aeriel duels out of a possible 110 - a win rate of 59.1%, third only behind Jamaal Lascelles and Joelinton.
But as much as Wood proves his worth in the air, sooner rather than later he will be judged on his goals - and so far it reads, five starts, 450 minutes played and zero goals.
In many ways, it’s hard to be critical of Wood for missing chances as very few have been created for the New Zealand international - with only one shot registered as on target, and only nine further efforts.
That came against Everton when Wood just a few yards out got his header all wrong and tamely nodded it towards Jordan Pickford - a chance many feel he should have done much better with.
But aside from that, the other nine opportunities are hardly anything noticeable - other than perhaps a shot against Aston Villa which he blazed into the Leazes End with Ryan Fraser free on the right.
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So how do Newcastle fix the issue? Is there a case to be made that United should change their style to suit Wood? Or does Wood have to do more to fit into what has been a largely successful approach to games in recent weeks?
Of course, both options are easier said than done.
If you look at Wood’s Premier League record - 50 goals in 159 appearances is a fine record, and not too dissimilar to the man he has replaced, Callum Wilson.
17 of those 50 goals have been headers - only Christian Benteke (33), Harry Kane (27) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (18) scoring more when it comes to players still plying their trade today in the Premier League.
It's clear that he is an asset in the air.
He is clinical edge was helped by Burnley’s approach to games - with the main line of attack to get the ball whipped into the box.
Upon signing Wood in August 2017 - Burnley’s crosses in the Premier League total 3,368 with 34% of the striker's goals for his former club being headers.
In total, Wood accounted for 30% of Burnley’s headed goals over his time there.
Newcastle in contrast have put in 2,959 crosses over the last four and half seasons with 40 headed goals over the same period of time.
With the way Newcastle have been playing over recent weeks, it’s hard to put forward a case that Eddie Howe should change the way his side plays - especially given the threat of Allan Saint-Maximin.
However, it’s fair to say that the way United are approaching is largely the same as that of when Wilson was fit - still looking for the forward man to run the channels, something Wood is not suited to.
Burnley in contrast have replaced Wood with someone similar - Wout Weghorst.
A question asked by some is whether United’s recruitment team, with time against them and in desperate need of a replacement for Wilson, moved for the wrong sort of striker?
There was indeed some surprise when Wood was initially linked to the club and then completed his move - no more so than Wood himself.
“When the takeover happened, I could not have envisaged I would be one of the first signings,” he told The Telegraph.
“I’d read the rumours about Mbappe and Haaland and all that sort of stuff.
“It made you smile, I suppose, on the outside looking in. Newcastle were not in my thoughts at all. The interest came as a surprise and it all happened quickly.
“In the space of 48 hours. Callum (Wilson) got the injury, Newcastle needed another striker with some presence to lead the line and it was done two days later.
“I’m obviously not in the same bracket as either of those two, I accept that 100 per cent, I am different, but I was brought in to do a specific job and because I knew the Premier League. I was brought in to fight."
Indeed, Wood has brought a bit of aggression to the side along with the arrivals of Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier - all who had added some needle to the squad.
And there is no doubting his commitment to the cause and efforts on the pitch but the longer he goes without a goal, the louder the questions will become about he fits into this side.
Perhaps the biggest dilemma is whether United can urge Saint-Maximin to change his game and whip more balls into the box, although the suspicion is that for many, you simply do not try and change a genius like him to suit anyone.
There is the famous tale of Alan Shearer telling David Ginola to start crossing the ball but you get the feeling, Wood isn't ready to have that sort of conversation just yet with his fellow wingers.
With all that in mind, it is important to note that Wood is continuing to be benefit United with hold up play - and hopefully, he can kick start his Toon goal tally this Saturday against Brentford.
