Goals

[Guest prophet]

When we play Rafas system, it appears that our midfileders do not contribute enough.

 

Look at Gonzo, Momo, Xabi, Pennant, etc. The only proven gial scorer from midfld is Stevie.

 

Many a times, we get to the byline with our strikers getting the crosses in but no one coming into the box to

get onto the crosses. How frustrating that is! Our strikers are workin their socks off, but crosses from them

are not met by our midfldrs.

 

This is fairlly apparent to our lack of goals and breaking down of defences.

 

Lookie at the Mancs, (Just for stats) Goals have come from 15 diff players. Only Neville has failed to score.

 

How many goals have come form our midlfrs so far? i recall Rafas system from Valencia requires this....

 

Opinions?

[Guest Kev]

The forwards are helping out the midfield and the midfielders are helping out the defence.

[Guest prophet]

The forwards are helping out the midfield and the midfielders are helping out the defence.

 

Unfortunately the midfldrs not helping out the strikers?

[Cam]

Rafa needs to swallow his pride and admit we need a goalscorer.

 

I can understand his personal ethos - that a good team shares goals all around. The plan doesn't alter if the goalscorer gets injured.

 

But having a goalscoring centre-forward doesn't stop the rest of the team chipping in. Or did we only ever score the 30 goals Rush used to score?

[Paul_LFC]

The forwards are helping out the midfield and the midfielders are helping out the defence.

 

Exactly, compare that with United and Chelsea, and thats the difference between us and those two.

[Guest prophet]

Actually i do think we have a 20 goal getter in Kyut. However, hes not "allowed" to in Rafas system. Having said this, our midflders do not get into or aint allowed to get into the box oft enough.

 

Seen so many times a cross comes in esp from our strikers, no ones in the box making the late runs from midfld to get to those crosses. Stevies makes those runs infrequently nowadays compared to when he was a younger. Crosses just zip past with only maybe the other striker in the area. Wasted chances.....will greatly enhance goal chnces when the midflers run in late into those areas

[_00_deathscar]

Losing Garcia didn't help our cause either ~ 13 in his first, 12 in his second, and was well on his way to 10+ again this season.

[fyds]

Rafa needs to swallow his pride and admit we need a goalscorer.

 

I can understand his personal ethos - that a good team shares goals all around. The plan doesn't alter if the goalscorer gets injured.

 

But having a goalscoring centre-forward doesn't stop the rest of the team chipping in. Or did we only ever score the 30 goals Rush used to score?

Silly post.

 

It's not about pride it's about cash. You want a quality forward, you need quality cash. This summer for the first time, Rafa should have more than enough.

 

Losing Garcia didn't help our cause either ~ 13 in his first, 12 in his second, and was well on his way to 10+ again this season.

making good sense will never do in a thread like this.

[anfield]

Actually i do think we have a 20 goal getter in Kyut. However, hes not "allowed" to in Rafas system. Having said this, our midflders do not get into or aint allowed to get into the box oft enough.

 

Seen so many times a cross comes in esp from our strikers, no ones in the box making the late runs from midfld to get to those crosses. Stevies makes those runs infrequently nowadays compared to when he was a younger. Crosses just zip past with only maybe the other striker in the area. Wasted chances.....will greatly enhance goal chnces when the midflers run in late into those areas

 

Spot on right there. Its a fact that strikers perform poorly when they come here simply because they are asked to contribute too much on other areas of the pitch. That and the lack of movement and goal scoring ability of our midfield.........isnt it worrying that none of Alonso, Sissoko or Mascherano can be expected to pitch in with goals.......not much from Gonzalez or Pennant either....

[RafaShanks]

This is biggest achiles heal IMHO and would extend this argument to our whole team.

 

If you examine the Mancs, Arsenal and less extensively Chelsea, most of their players apart from their strikers chip in with a few goals, even their defenders. Our players don't, simple.

 

With the exception of Gerrard, Garcia (who in my opinion is still our most potent attacking player, who we are sorely missing at the moment) and possibly Riise, who chips in with a decent amount of goals?

 

Momo has never scored for us. Xabi very, very rarely scores (and when he does, they are a bit special). Pennant has got an awful goals return in his career. He's scored a measly 12 goals in his 185 games (and 3 of those were in one game) in his entire career. Gonzalez can be a goal threat, but has hardly featured down to injury.

 

Finnan, Carra and Agger, don't contribute either. With this amount of players who very rarely score that appear in our first XI, is it a big surprise we sometimes struggle to score when our strikers fail to do so? This has been an ongoing problem ever since Rafa took charge.

 

The lack of a set piece specialist in our side is also a massive problem. Big games can be solely decided on the execution of free kicks/corners. Xabi and Stevie are s**** dead ball deliverers. The amount of corners/free kicks due to poor delivery that we waste is a utter joke.

 

Cast your minds back to Ged's treble winning team in 2000/2001. Virtally the whole team apart from Carra, chipped in with a decent amount of goals, helping out the likes of Owen, Heskey and Fowler. We had Ziege, Sami and Babbel. In midfield, Barmby, Gary Mac , Didi, Stevie, Smicer all capable of scoring goals.

 

We have to get these problems recified in the summer. Buying an Eto'o will not solve these problems.

[surf]

Fully agree.

 

If we're going to play 4 at the back with Xabi and Momo in the middle there's 4 players left to provide the goals. At the moment that's Gerrard, Bellamy, Kuyt and a fourth. Pennant/Gonzalez dont get their names on the scoresheet enough to warrant a place on the team. I dont think the Kuyt-Bellamy combo provides enough either, although a better winger and a slight increase in goalscoring form and that could change.

 

Finding that 4th man - a wide player that chips in with a few goals - should be Rafa's main target for the sumer.

[Guest RedLegend]

I think sharing around the goals is an admirable aspiration but apart from Gerrard and Garcia none of our other midfielders contribute many goals.

 

We might be waiting years for Momo to score, Pennant has never been a regular scorer, Gonzales is still finding his feet and Xabi for all his talent doesn't score many either. Kewell would probably nab his fair share but who knows if he'll ever come back to anywhere near his best.

 

The mancs have two wide players who score regularly and a central midfielder who scores regularly. Only Carrick is goal shy.

[surf]

I'd be happy with 4 players on the field that regulary score goals which is perfectly possible and still allow us to play Xabi and Momo. It means there's no room for Pennant and Gonzo needs to find the goalscoring touch he had in Spain.

[Bootle Buck]

This is biggest achiles heal IMHO and would extend this argument to our whole team.

 

If you examine the Mancs, Arsenal and less extensively Chelsea, most of their players apart from their strikers chip in with a few goals, even their defenders. Our players don't, simple.

 

With the exception of Gerrard, Garcia (who in my opinion is still our most potent attacking player, who we are sorely missing at the moment) and possibly Riise, who chips in with a decent amount of goals?

 

Momo has never scored for us. Xabi very, very rarely scores (and when he does, they are a bit special). Pennant has got an awful goals return in his career. He's scored a measly 12 goals in his 185 games (and 3 of those were in one game) in his entire career. Gonzalez can be a goal threat, but has hardly featured down to injury.

 

Finnan, Carra and Agger, don't contribute either. With this amount of players who very rarely score that appear in our first XI, is it a big surprise we sometimes struggle to score when our strikers fail to do so? This has been an ongoing problem ever since Rafa took charge.

 

The lack of a set piece specialist in our side is also a massive problem. Big games can be solely decided on the execution of free kicks/corners. Xabi and Stevie are s**** dead ball deliverers. The amount of corners/free kicks due to poor delivery that we waste is a utter joke.

 

Cast your minds back to Ged's treble winning team in 2000/2001. Virtally the whole team apart from Carra, chipped in with a decent amount of goals, helping out the likes of Owen, Heskey and Fowler. We had Ziege, Sami and Babbel. In midfield, Barmby, Gary Mac , Didi, Stevie, Smicer all capable of scoring goals.

 

We have to get these problems recified in the summer. Buying an Eto'o will not solve these problems.

 

Great Post Mate!

 

We are capable of dominating teams yet struggle to break them down. Even some teams we have gone on to beat handily kept us at bay for long periods.

 

When you think of the likes of

 

Chelsea away

Everton away

Blackburn away

Portsmouth at home

Man Utd home

Blackburn at home

Everton home

 

Games we struggled to break down the opposition despite having large amounts of possesssion. We took 3 points from those games when we realistically should have had 21. The difference of being champions and finishing 4th is down to taking your chances.

Edited March 5, 2007 by Bootle Buck

[dorgie]

This is biggest achiles heal IMHO and would extend this argument to our whole team.

 

If you examine the Mancs, Arsenal and less extensively Chelsea, most of their players apart from their strikers chip in with a few goals, even their defenders. Our players don't, simple.

 

With the exception of Gerrard, Garcia (who in my opinion is still our most potent attacking player, who we are sorely missing at the moment) and possibly Riise, who chips in with a decent amount of goals?

 

Momo has never scored for us. Xabi very, very rarely scores (and when he does, they are a bit special). Pennant has got an awful goals return in his career. He's scored a measly 12 goals in his 185 games (and 3 of those were in one game) in his entire career. Gonzalez can be a goal threat, but has hardly featured down to injury.

 

Finnan, Carra and Agger, don't contribute either. With this amount of players who very rarely score that appear in our first XI, is it a big surprise we sometimes struggle to score when our strikers fail to do so? This has been an ongoing problem ever since Rafa took charge.

 

The lack of a set piece specialist in our side is also a massive problem. Big games can be solely decided on the execution of free kicks/corners. Xabi and Stevie are s**** dead ball deliverers. The amount of corners/free kicks due to poor delivery that we waste is a utter joke.

 

Cast your minds back to Ged's treble winning team in 2000/2001. Virtally the whole team apart from Carra, chipped in with a decent amount of goals, helping out the likes of Owen, Heskey and Fowler. We had Ziege, Sami and Babbel. In midfield, Barmby, Gary Mac , Didi, Stevie, Smicer all capable of scoring goals.

 

We have to get these problems recified in the summer. Buying an Eto'o will not solve these problems.

 

As far as packing all the problems in one neat little post, that's a heck of a good attempt. Very good post. Is Rafa reading ?

[hideNseek]

Losing Garcia didn't help our cause either ~ 13 in his first, 12 in his second, and was well on his way to 10+ again this season.

Agree we miss Garcia, he can do that something different that can be so special.

 

I'm a bit surprised Gerrard and Alonso haven't scored more goals this season, we've controlled enough games.

[Guest prophet]

Adding goals from other positions:

 

We can proabbly start with Alves who contributes quite a few to Sevilla?

 

One of the main problems is that the gaffers more oft lookin for 'potentials'. Hes only got the one right as far as midflds concern, thats Garcia. Hes a gem of a goal getter esp in big games.

 

We need more of these esp from the midfld. We need those who makes those late runs into the box to support the resposibilities of getting goals with the strikers bearing in mind the system that we play. Until then, goals are gonna be a premium esp when the games are tight.

[Guz]

Watch United at Fulham last week and you'll see why they score so many goals. Even when they were under pressure and only played on the counter they had 4 or 5 players attacking Fulham at pace and trying to get into the box. We don't do that enough

[Guest Kaizer]

My post would fit into this thread as well, did not see it, could someone please merge them?

 

http://www.ynwa.tv/forum/index.php?showtopic=123851