Goals

[Guest prophet]

Goals or the scoring of has been last seasons problems. In fact for some season s now, goalscoring has been the teams problem. Where can you see the goals in the PL coming from?

 

STRIKERS

 

Torres 15

Crouch 15

Voronin 8

Babel 8

Kyut 10

Sub Total 56

 

Midfield

 

Stevie 12

Riise 5

Benny 3

harry 3

Alonso 3

Pennant 0

Masch 1

Momo 1 YES HE WILL BREAK HIS DUCK!

Lucas 0

Leto 0

Sub Total 28

 

Defence

 

Agger 3

Carra WE will come back to him in 5 years time.

Hyppia 1

Aberloa 2

Finnan 0

Aurelio 1

Insua 0

Sub Total 7

 

 

AND we have a GRAND TOTAL OF 91 GOALS!!!! HOPE IT HAPPENS!

Edited August 7, 2007 by prophet

[San Diego Red]

Not a single goal from Dirk?

TBH, from what I've seen from Stevie, he'll be putting in a fair amount, but not 12.

[Guest prophet]

Not a single goal from Dirk?

TBH, from what I've seen from Stevie, he'll be putting in a fair amount, but not 12.

shoot! He snot scored for so long i've missed him!

[Red]

I expect more than 3 from Harry and I think Hyppia will get more than 1.

I don't think Babel will get 8 and Kuyt could do with a couple more than 10.

Edited August 7, 2007 by Red

[Guest prophet]

Its a bit difficult to estimate the distribution amongst the strikers as IMO they will be rotated. So who plays most frequent has yet to beknown. But 56 goals seems an attainable goal for the strikers as a bunch.

 

i am only hoping that the midfeilders can contribute at least the 28 goals.

 

Works out as Strikers 62% Midfeielders 31% Defenders 7%

 

Distribution is quite reasonable

[flash]

If we play like valencia used to, i tthink the midfield will get more than the strikers.

[Guest prophet]

If we play like valencia used to, i tthink the midfield will get more than the strikers.

BUT we are not Valencia of rafa.

 

We are limited by what players we have. Especially the goal limitations of our midfield.

[David Hodgson]

Rafa talked earlier in pre-season about playing a more expansive game, with the new attacking players we were acquiring. That change in mentality is now the key to our goalscoring problem rather than the personel.

 

I hope this new approach manifests itself, because it was sparsely in evidence pre-season. I think our attacking attitude at Villa will tell us plenty about the future though.

[Guest prophet]

Rafa talked earlier in pre-season about playing a more expansive game, with the new attacking players we were acquiring. That change in mentality is now the key to our goalscoring problem rather than the personel.

 

I hope this new approach manifests itself, because it was sparsely in evidence pre-season. I think our attacking attitude at Villa will tell us plenty about the future though.

 

Attacking players may no necessarrily be goal getters esp the midfielders such as Benny. He s only got 3 goals for the Hammmers last season. Apart from Stevie, goals form midfield will still be a problem.

 

You hit it on the head! Didnt see that in pre season. You have to wonder: Should the preseason games be more serious so that the players can come out of the blocks flying? Dont want another 8 pts behind after 5 games!

[Gray - YPC]

Forwards

 

Torres 14

Crouch 9

Voronin 3

Babel 4

Kuyt 12

Sub Total 42

 

Midfield

 

Gerrard 11

Riise 2

Benayoun 1

Kewell 4

Alonso 1

Pennant 1

Mascherano 0

Sissoko 0

Lucas 2

Leto 0

Sub Total 22

 

Defence

 

Agger 2

Carra 0

Hyypia 1

Aberloa 0

Finnan 0

Aurelio 2

Insua 0

Sub Total 5

 

Total 69 goals

[sean]

I do have a genuine concern that we're going to have to work hard for most of our goals. We don't look like converting half chances at the minute and haven't for a while. Hopefully Torres can work himself into some sort of goalscoring groove.

[Guest Kaizer]

Great a thread I can post in without being accused of being obsessed with stats.

 

Lets have a look at last season first.

 

Strikers: 31 goals

Kuyt: 34(27+7) - 12 goals

Crouch: 32(19+13) - 9 goals

Bellamy: 27(23+4) - 7 goals

Fowler: 16(6+10) - 3 goals

 

Midfielders: 18 goals

Gerrard: 36(35+1) - 7 goals

Alonso: 32(29+3) - 4 goals

Garcia: 17(11+6) - 3 goals

González: 25(14+11) - 2 goals

Kewell: 2(0+2) - 1 goal

Pennant: 34(20+14) - 1 goal

 

Defenders: 7 goals

Agger: 27(23+4) - 2 goals

Hyypiä: 23(23+0) - 2 goals

Riise: 33(29+4) - 1 goal

Arbeloa: 9(8+1) - 1 goal

Carragher: 35(34+1) - 1 goal

 

Our midfielders scored one more goal in total than what C.Ronaldo did on his own, you dont win the title with something like that, especially not when your strikers dont score for fun either.

 

Anyway lets move on and look at the coming season.

 

Just like last season I think we will need to end up around the 70 mark when it comes to goals scored to have a sniff at the title.

If I`m going to come up with a prediction I will say that unless you score 73 goals you will not win the title.

To reach this number i think the split areas needs to contribute with about these numbers each.

 

Defense: 6-8 goals

Midfield: 20-25 goals

Attack: 40-45

 

If we look at the numbers above and compare them with the targets I have listed for this season we see that improvements will be needed especially up front and in midfield, where the improvement will actually come is hard to tell, but together the two areas will need to score around 65 goals if we shall challenge for the title.

 

There is no magic formula, we just need to start taking our chances a little bit better, even if our strikers need to increase their contribution massively compared to last season it can be done if they start converting their chances instead of wasting them, when it comes to our midfield they hopefully will improve but Alonso scored 4 goals and Gerrard scored 7 goals, thats about what we can expect from them, Gerrards league average is around 7-8 and even if it sounds good in theory to have him scoring more than 10 goals we`ll have to wait and see.

 

Our wingers need to score more, but our main problem in midfield is that we have a few players you cant trust to come up with goals at all.

 

70 goals at least should be the target and it should not be a problem considering the amount of chances we create but our finishing needs to improve, last season we only had the 14th best conversion rate in the league and that is nothing but a joke for a club like ours.

Edited August 7, 2007 by Kaizer

[Behind Enemy Lines]

you're obsessed with stats

[Stevie H]

I do have a genuine concern that we're going to have to work hard for most of our goals. We don't look like converting half chances at the minute and haven't for a while. Hopefully Torres can work himself into some sort of goalscoring groove.

apparently we had more shots than just about anyone last season, which i find weird. i don't think we shoot nearly often enough or early enough.

[sean]

apparently we had more shots than just about anyone last season, which i find weird. i don't think we shoot nearly often enough or early enough.

 

 

I'd say JAR alone keeps our shot count high.

[Stevie H]

I'd say JAR alone keeps our shot count high.

good point that. and half of pennant's crosses probably count as shots too.

[Gilps]

I'd say JAR alone keeps our shot count high.

 

good point that. and half of pennant's crosses probably count as shots too.

 

Not forgetting Momo's attempted through balls.

[_00_deathscar]

Great a thread I can post in without being accused of being obsessed with stats.

 

Lets have a look at last season first.

 

Strikers: 31 goals

Kuyt: 34(27+7) - 12 goals

Crouch: 32(19+13) - 9 goals

Bellamy: 27(23+4) - 7 goals

Fowler: 16(6+10) - 3 goals

 

Midfielders: 18 goals

Gerrard: 36(35+1) - 7 goals

Alonso: 32(29+3) - 4 goals

Garcia: 17(11+6) - 3 goals

González: 25(14+11) - 2 goals

Kewell: 2(0+2) - 1 goal

Pennant: 34(20+14) - 1 goal

 

Defenders: 7 goals

Agger: 27(23+4) - 2 goals

Hyypiä: 23(23+0) - 2 goals

Riise: 33(29+4) - 1 goal

Arbeloa: 9(8+1) - 1 goal

Carragher: 35(34+1) - 1 goal

 

You're obssessed with stats...

 

What the f*** are all those numbers?

[Walrus]

Riise: 33(29+4) - 1 goal

 

=

 

Riise: 33 shots from own half (+ 29 from the opposing half but further away than 40 yards from goal + 4 inside the penalty box) - 1 goal

 

All in all, a great strike rate.

 

Seriously though with him playing 33 games and having a shot whenever there's half a chance 1 goal is criminally poor from JAR.

[Sion]

Torres - 15-20

Kuyt - 10-15

Crouch - 10

Gerrard - 10

Voronin - 5-10

Babel - 5-10

Kewell, Benayoun and Pennant - 5 between them

Alonso, Masch, Momo - 5 between them

Agger/Hyypia/Carra - 5 between them

one or two from the rest

Edited August 7, 2007 by Sion

[RedNik]

He scores a lot when in midfield though.

[Guest Kaizer]

You're obssessed with stats...

 

What the f*** are all those numbers?

 

I would have thought that was obvious.

 

Kuyt: 34(27+7) - 12 goals

 

Kuyt: 34 matches( 27 starts+ 7 subs) - 12 goals

 

To include matches and starts is relevant in a topic like this, because if you "expect" 56 goals from our strikers like prophet did you have to ask yourself if they will get enough matches to reach those individual numbers, personally I dont think so.

[_00_deathscar]

Riise: 33(29+4) - 1 goal

 

=

 

Riise: 33 shots from own half (+ 29 from the opposing half but further away than 40 yards from goal + 4 inside the penalty box) - 1 goal

 

All in all, a great strike rate.

 

Seriously though with him playing 33 games and having a shot whenever there's half a chance 1 goal is criminally poor from JAR.

 

Think the crossbar at Anfield is still rattling from his shot though...

[Big E]

The potential lack of goals worries me. Of all the players we've bought, none of them appear prolific in their respective position. If I was predicting prem goal tallys I'd say Torres 10, Yossi 3, Babel 5, Voronin 5. We need to see improved contributions from every one of last years midfielders in addition to the new recruits.

 

The new recruits need to offer more than those they replaced. Torres, Voronin and Yossi are 5-10 goals better than Bellamy, Garcia and Robbie, so Babel is vastly important yet is a big gamble for me esp with Kewell's contribution very uncertain. It seems to me that while the squad is incredibly strong with 2 players for each position there are so many positions where there isn't a clear first choice. Apart from Gerrard and possibly Torres because of his price tag none of the players can consider themselves first choice and anyone could start on Saturday.

 

Compare that to United who's first 11 is much more settled, and I wonder if that's a factor in our attacking problems. Defensive duties are easy to coach, but it's the understanding from playing with the same players that helpsin the final 3rd.

[Lee W]

Compare that to United who's first 11 is much more settled, and I wonder if that's a factor in our attacking problems. Defensive duties are easy to coach, but it's the understanding from playing with the same players that helpsin the final 3rd.

 

Think it's a vastly underrated factor, and have been saying this for a while.

 

There are two area's where rotation should be kept to a minimum if possible - central defence and upfront, where match-saving and match-winning partnerships are forged.

 

I hope we get a settled nucleus of the team sorted early....