EFL pundit highlights Charlton Athletic concern Nathan Jones must address

Charlton Athletic may be sitting comfortably in ninth place in the Championship, but EFL pundit George Elek believes Nathan Jones still has plenty to worry about beneath the surface.

The Addicks made an excellent start to the campaign, winning their opening three league matches and becoming the last team in the division to lose their perfect record.

However, the momentum has quickly faded.

Charlton have now gone five games without a victory, with just two goals scored during that run. Three draws have helped keep them on 12 points after eight matches, but their recent results have raised questions about what lies ahead.

Their defensive record is not particularly alarming either, with 10 goals conceded so far. Seven of those came in just two matches, meaning they have allowed only three goals across their other six games.

It is the attacking numbers that have really caught Elek’s attention.

Charlton currently have the lowest expected-goals total in the Championship and sit 22nd for expected-goals difference. Opta’s expected table also has the Addicks down near the bottom of the division.

Speaking on the Not The Top 20 podcast, Elek admitted that Charlton are a team he is concerned about despite their league position.

He pointed to their impressive early victories over Preston, West Ham and Derby, but highlighted what has happened since the end of August.

Charlton have collected just three points from their last five matches, all through draws, while failing to score in their goalless stalemates against Portsmouth and QPR.

For Elek, the worrying part is that their underlying numbers cannot simply be explained by spending long periods protecting leads or chasing games.

Charlton have still struggled to create chances even when the match situation should have encouraged them to attack.

Their expected-goals difference currently stands at minus 6.1, leaving them 22nd in that particular Championship ranking alongside Watford and Derby.

That has left Elek questioning whether some of Charlton’s early-season success can continue.

Tyreece Campbell has been one of the standout performers for Jones, already scoring more league goals in eight matches this season than he managed across 45 appearances last campaign.

The change in system, which has allowed Campbell to operate more prominently from the wing, appears to have brought out the best in him.

But Elek believes the forward still has to prove that he can maintain his current scoring rate over a full Championship season.

The pundit also mentioned Lloyd Jones among the players he likes, although he questioned whether enough members of the squad can establish themselves as top-level Championship performers.

Despite his concerns, Elek was quick to praise Jones.

He believes the Charlton manager is one of the coaches in the EFL most capable of improving players and getting more from a squad than its individual parts might suggest.

That could prove crucial given Charlton’s situation last season.

The Addicks only secured their Championship survival on the penultimate matchday, despite also making a strong start to that campaign.

Elek therefore believes their current league position should not completely remove them from the relegation discussion.

“Nathan Jones comes with a huge amount of respect, and if anyone will make them okay, it will be him,” Elek said.

Charlton will now hope that their early-season form proves to be more than a temporary surge and that Jones can steer the side towards a much more comfortable campaign.