What's wrong with Nikica Jelavic?

[SebbyHaughtonf1]

Nikica Jelavic, last season scored 11 goals in his 16 Everton appearances. This season, he’s got 6 goals in 18 appearances. That's somewhat short of what we were all expecting, I'd have thought he'd have at least 10 by now. So what is it then?

Is he just having one of those stages that all strikers have a lack of confidence? For example, Pappis Cisse is going through something worse than Jelavic right now at Newcastle.

Is it really no pre-season training? Johnny Heitinga, who also played in the Euro's, isn't having the season he had last season either.

Bad service? In games like Reading away & Norwich at home, we had several opportunities but only 2 or 3 fell to Jelavic's feet.

Is Fellaini adding pressure? Fellaini's surge in form has caught the whole of the Premier league's eye. In the same number of appearances, he's got 8 goals, bearing in mind, he's a midfielder.

Or was this what we were expecting and I'm being too harsh? 17 goals in a calendar year, for 5 million pounds is a very very good return.

I don't know, what do you guys think? I should also add, that I love Jelavic, I’ve got nothing against him, I just want him to start scoring again!

 

[ijjysmith]

He's got foot aids.

 

[Brennan]

Nothing.

How many strikers can you get for £5m who score 1 goal every 3 games in the prem ? Not many.

How many strikers can you get for £5m who score more than 1 goal every 2 games season after season ? You can't. Even Aguero isn't scoring that many.

Many strikers have a purple patch when they join a new team, and then their goals per game drops as defenders get wise to them. If somebody had told us Jelavic would score 1 every 3 for £5m i imagine we'd all be pretty happy with that.

 

[toffeemax]

so ultimately he has 17 goals in a season's worth of matches. Not a bad return if you ask me. It's not as if he's not getting the chances as well.

 

[Ring master]

Well this little run of him not scoring was always going to happen one stage or another,or not get as many goals as what you might expect/think,then have people say hes rubbish,a one season wonder etc,but great signing and still is for what we payed and will score goals and Lucky for everton we have always been a team that share the goals out and dont rely on one player to score

 

[Deleted member 28206]

The age old dilemma, some you score? Some you don't.

 

[Azzurri]

Dodgy teeth.

 

[MapleLeafEvertonian]

Well defenders know about him now and hes going through a rough time of it when he does get chances. But on sunday if there was a chance going, id want few other people than jella to be on the end of them.

 

[Cena]

Nothing. Works as hard as any striker we've had in the last 10 years

 

[quasi modo]

Confidence, and not playing to his strengths. He seems to doing what most Everton forwards do in they're 2nd season and chasing balls down the channels, looking for lost causes.

Also doesn't look very fit at the moment.

 

[formerly manx toffee]

Norovirus ?

 

[chicoazul]

He's going through some bad form mate, it just stands out more because when he came he was bang in form and slotting like Goat's mar on a weekend.

As Cenaggio says he's still working his arse off and he will come good and start slotting again. It's just a shame there's no viable alternative to him up front so we could give him a few games rest.

 

[pablo_p]

Think he's suffering from them inflamed pubes he had when we first signed him.

 

[Duncan Disordely]

Most important thing for me is we're still picking a a good number of points without our no.1 striker hitting his form of last year.

Unlike Yak (not interested), Saha (cripple, couldn't/wouldn't run) and Cahill (lost pace and spring in his jump, plus played deeper) I'm fully confident in Jelavic's ability to regularly bang them in.

With the points return we already have, plus the potential for Jelavic to come bang into form for the second half of the season, we could be onto a winner.

Also it's not like he's playing really poorly or not working for the team. He's not getting the level of service he was, and is snatching a bit at the chances he does get.

 

[Hellerad]

He's an instinctual finisher. He has said as much in interviews. If the puts too much thought into what he is doing, it doesn't come off right. Strikers like that are streaky. It is obvious from recent performance that he is as frustrated as the fans.

The fact that EFC are getting some results without him is good. If he gets hot again and we have a health midfield, we could be outright scary.