Do we try to change our strikers at Liverpool?

[Bootle Buck]

It seems over the years we have bought strikers and then changed the way they played before signing for us.

 

Kuyt - Spends a lot of his time in midfield, I'm not sure how he was so prolific in Holland if he played this way.

Cisse - We tried to play him wide right, when he clearly didn't like it.

Morientes - Played much deeper than he ever did in Spain

Diouf - We played him mainly out wide right

Heskey - He was asked to get back and help out far too often as well as being used out wide were he wasn't effective

 

Many of these players came with good goalscoring pasts yet left the club with disappointing records. It just seems to me that they aren't allow the freedom to do what we really need them to do which is score as a lot more is expected of them or they are asked to play unfamiliar roles.

This isn't just a Rafa thing as I felt the same about it when GH was manager.

[Guest Sabre]

I think 4 of those 5 just weren't good enough to be the main man up front for Liverpool.

 

Heskey got found out by the opposition.

 

Diouf didn't have the movement or pace to play up front in England.

 

Morientes lacked the power and pace.

 

Cisse just didn't have the intelligence to cut it.

 

Kuyt is the closest I think that we have to a great all round striker. Just needs to find his shooting boots again and he and Bellamy will start destroying teams.

[AnfieldWestGaffer]

 

Diouf didn't have the movement or pace to play up front in England.

 

 

Not that I want that idiot back, but he's doing pretty well at Bolton.

[Guz]

Not that I want that idiot back, but he's doing pretty well at Bolton.

 

I never had any problems with playing Diouf on the right to be honest. He was forming a very good partnership with Finnan before things started to go t*** up for him. Start of 03/04 I think it was we looked like we were forming a decent attacking unit with Kewell, Gerrard, Diouf, Owen and Baros/Heskey playing some fluid stuff without getting the results our play probably deserved. It was around the time Igor partnered Sami at CB, I'll never forget his (Igor) towering display at Goodison when we won 3-0

[Bootle Buck]

I think 4 of those 5 just weren't good enough to be the main man up front for Liverpool.

 

Heskey got found out by the opposition.

 

Diouf didn't have the movement or pace to play up front in England.

 

Morientes lacked the power and pace.

 

Cisse just didn't have the intelligence to cut it.

 

Kuyt is the closest I think that we have to a great all round striker. Just needs to find his shooting boots again and he and Bellamy will start destroying teams.

 

Heskey played a very unselfish role in helping Owen score so many goals. When played up front as a powerful front man he is at his best.

Morientes spent too much time outside the box with his back to goal. Something he never did in his very successful career. Cisse's attitude sucked but he could have potentially been as effective as Drogba or Eto'o if used and managed effectively .

[Kite]

Cisse's attitude sucked but he could have potentially been as effective as Drogba or Eto'o if used and managed effectively .

no idea what that means, we've one of the best managers in the world - how could cisse have been managed better? Drogba is a completely different kind of player too - he actually has aerial presence/threat, something cisse never ever had anywhere.

[anfield]

The point has been made several times that our midfield does not move up in support of the strikers well enough. As as result, the strikers have to drop deep. Players like Diouf, Kuyt and Morientes do not have the pace to compensate. We ask too much of our strikers and too little of our midfield. Once Sissoko gets back, the midfield will become even more toothless.

[Bootle Buck]

no idea what that means, we've one of the best managers in the world - how could cisse have been managed better? Drogba is a completely different kind of player too - he actually has aerial presence/threat, something cisse never ever had anywhere.

 

At his previous club Cisse showed the speed and explosiveness that had many clubs admiring him. He was also allowed to play his own game. At Liverpool Rafa played him out of position most of the time. It was clear he resented the fact that he was pushed out on the wing. I know Drogba is a different player, I am just saying Cisse could have had the same impact as Drogba has had in our league. His goalscoring record was still pretty good despite his injuries and infrequent playing time.

Edited December 27, 2006 by Bootle Buck

[DarthVader]

No I don't think we need to change our strikers, at least not our first choice combination of Kuyt-Bellamy.They have only just been paired together and have scored 11 premiership goals between them.I trust them to get 25 premierships goals by the end of the season which I think wouldn't be a bad total for a new partnership.

The Blackburn game was a case of us not being clinical enough in the 1st half and not creating any clear cut chances in the 2nd half.If anything needs to be changed it is the attitude and performance of our midfielders.Steven Gerrard is not having the best of seasons so far with only 3 premiership goals and the other attacking midfielders like Garcia or Gonzalez aren't contributing much in terms of goals.We do need to sign 1 very exceptional attacking midfielder who is a goalscorer,creator and comfortable playing out wide.

[lfc003]

no idea what that means, we've one of the best managers in the world - how could cisse have been managed better? Drogba is a completely different kind of player too - he actually has aerial presence/threat, something cisse never ever had anywhere.

 

i think the fact that Rafa never wanted Cisse and hawked him around to other clubs the moment Cisse joined is what he is talking about. I know there's not many Cisse fans on this board, but the fact is that if Rafa backed Cisse and played him up front for a extended time the goals would have flowed.

 

The thing that annoys me the most is that, I can't remember the last striker we brought that was allowed to play his natural game.

[RafaShanks]

I'm gonna get lynched for saying this buy I don't think Crouchy is good enough at the highest level. I know this is gonna sound harsh, but when it matters most, he doesn't stick the ball in the back of the net. I know Bellamy and Kuyt have missed a few chances recently, but they know how to finish.

 

I also was chatting to a Villa fan just before we signed Crouchy, who told me that he has to be playing regulary to get the best of out him. which isn't gonna ideally happen unless Bellamy or Dirk get injured.

 

Kuyt and Bellamy are both excellent in terms of what they give us and how tirelessly they work for the team.

 

For next season, I'd personally have Kuyt, Bellamy, Huntelaar (or another clinical finisher) and Pongelle (or another young, hungry pacey striker).

 

The wingers situation is another problem and another discussion altogether.

Edited December 27, 2006 by RafaShanks

[Bootle Buck]

No I don't think we need to change our strikers, at least not our first choice combination of Kuyt-Bellamy.They have only just been paired together and have scored 11 premiership goals between them.I trust them to get 25 premierships goals by the end of the season which I think wouldn't be a bad total for a new partnership.

The Blackburn game was a case of us not being clinical enough in the 1st half and not creating any clear cut chances in the 2nd half.If anything needs to be changed it is the attitude and performance of our midfielders.Steven Gerrard is not having the best of seasons so far with only 3 premiership goals and the other attacking midfielders like Garcia or Gonzalez aren't contributing much in terms of goals.We do need to sign 1 very exceptional attacking midfielder who is a goalscorer,creator and comfortable playing out wide.

 

I think you are reading the title of the thread rather than the actual post itself. I meant do we try to change them from how they played at previous clubs.

 

 

I'm gonna get lynched for saying this buy I don't think Crouchy is good enough at the highest level. I know this is gonna sound harsh, but when it matters most, he doesn't stick the ball in the back of the net. I know Bellamy and Kuyt have missed a few chances recently, but they know how to finish.

 

I also was chatting to a Villa fan just before we signed Crouchy, who told me that he has to be playing regulary to get the best of out him. which isn't gonna ideally happen unless Bellamy or Dirk get injured.

 

Kuyt and Bellamy are both excellent in terms of what they give us and how tirelessly they work for the team.

 

For next season, I'd personally have Kuyt, Bellamy, Huntelaar (or another clinical finisher) and Pongelle (or another young, hungry pacey striker).

 

The wingers situation is another problem and another discussion altogether.

 

To add to that. How long will our fans continue to be happy with Kuyt's work rate if he doesn't score as many goals as were expected. It seems that many have been impressed with Kuyt's work rate yet he too has been pretty poor on the finishing front. Unless we get in a poacher alongside him he will have to be a bit more selfish and do less work outside of the box to justify his inclusion. I haven't seen much of Huntelaar but if he is a clinical finisher he will do. I personally would like Klose from Bremen, good in the air a handful for defenders and he can score goals..

[Kite]

i think the fact that Rafa never wanted Cisse and hawked him around to other clubs the moment Cisse joined is what he is talking about. I know there's not many Cisse fans on this board, but the fact is that if Rafa backed Cisse and played him up front for a extended time the goals would have flowed.

 

The thing that annoys me the most is that, I can't remember the last striker we brought that was allowed to play his natural game.

I think Cisse's natural game was to play in the French league basically. Unless LFC petitioned to move there, Rafa was left with no choice than to try use his pace out on the wing where occasionally he did prove quite effective. Playing him up front was proved pointless on many occasion. The last striker we bought that was allowed play his natural game was Kuyt I reckon ...

[jfogarty]

I wouldnt mind us signing Mark Viduka on the cheap in January if we don t have much money to spend. I know he can be a bit of a lazy git but he has nearly 200 career goals and will do a job short term

 

An injury to Kuyt or Bellamy and I think we would be in trouble

[Hassony]

I wouldnt mind us signing Mark Viduka on the cheap in January if we don t have much money to spend. I know he can be a bit of a lazy git but he has nearly 200 career goals and will do a job short term

 

An injury to Kuyt or Bellamy and I think we would be in trouble

just what we need, another Aussie permanently in the treatment room

[Paul]

The point has been made several times that our midfield does not move up in support of the strikers well enough. As as result, the strikers have to drop deep. Players like Diouf, Kuyt and Morientes do not have the pace to compensate. We ask too much of our strikers and too little of our midfield. Once Sissoko gets back, the midfield will become even more toothless.

 

Yep, that's the crux of the problem right there.

Not only that but I think we need more guile in that area which is surprising cinsidering we have Alonso and Gerrard there.

[anfield]

Yep, that's the crux of the problem right there.

Not only that but I think we need more guile in that area which is surprising cinsidering we have Alonso and Gerrard there.

 

People go on and on about how great our midfielders are. While that is true......they do not function together in any cohesive form. The movement forwards in attack and off the ball is terrible.....cue Kuyt, Crouch and Bellamy dropping deep to get the ball......

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen loose balls bounce around in the opposition box during an attack with no Liverpool player for miles around. The blame lies squarely with our midfielders not the strikers. Yes the strikers do squander chances, but thats no different from the likes of Saha etc