To win the League

[Jim D]

Whilst the Mancs were once again cruising to another victory against lower opposition at Old Trafford it kind of hit home to me about how outstanding their league record has been at Old Trafford over the past two seasons. Now our own record at Anfield isn't too shabby either and our away record is just as good as theirs. So why the gulf in the points totals?

 

Well lets see....from last season

 

Home

Mancs P19 W17 D1 L1 Pts 52

Liverpool P19 W12 D6 L1 Pts 42

 

Away

Mancs P19 W10 D5 L4 Pts 35

Liverpool P19 W9 D7 L3 Pts 34

 

Fast forward to this season so far.....

 

Home

Mancs P12 W11 D1 L0 Pts 34

Liverpool P12 W7 D5 L0 Pts 26

 

Away

Mancs P13 W7 D4 L2 Pts 25

Liverpool P13 W8 D4 L1 Pts 28

 

Our away form is title winning form and has been during this period, our problem has been at home. Despite only losing 1 game during this period (same as the Mancs) for most teams this would be a very creditable home record. However it is plain to see the Mancs win the majority of their games at home and this is where they win the League. Draws at home are killing us big time and its something Rafa has not remedied from last season.

 

Yes we've had disappointing draws away to Wigan and Stoke recently but it is not these results that will cost us the League its those draws we got against Fulham, West Ham and Stoke at Anfield. I remember posting on here a few months ago after we drew against West Ham on a Monday night being very disappointed because we had a chance to make a statement at the top of the League. Looks like it has come back to haunt us.

 

Our form at Anfield is a massive problem and it needs addressing starting from next season, we need to see more draws converted into wins but how is it going to be solved??

 

Is Rafa going to have to change his philosophy, change the way we set up and be more attacking at home or is it Rafa is just lacking quality players in his system. If so where?

Do the Anfield crowd have a responsibility in this? The fans just don't seem to get going when the "lower" teams come to Anfield on a match day.

[Nebraska Red]

could have sworn I just replied to this somewhere else.

 

i must be going out of my mind again. another Nebraska winter claims a large portion of my brain cells.

[Nebraska Red]

I thought so.

 

I think we lack a couple of quality players and we suffer from an inability to come up with a plan B against lesser teams who park the bus.

 

We need more speed in the attacking half of the pitch, and a couple of players capable of doing the unexpected in a positive way, not the Lucas Leiva kind of unexpected in his own box or half. We need to be less predictable.

 

I despise the mancs with every fiber of my being, but they have a mentality that we do not have at the moment. we used to have it in the 70's and 80's and we need to get it back pretty damn quick.

 

How about this, we play our home games in our away kit. It wiould confuse the hell out of the opposition, with the added bonus of totally messing with the day trippers.

[Jim D]

could have sworn I just replied to this somewhere else.

 

i must be going out of my mind again. another Nebraska winter claims a large portion of my brain cells.

 

Yeah sorry about that, thought it would be better to move this discussion into the lfc forum.

[surf]

Last year it was not beating the big teams. The year before it was not beating the small teams. Now it's home form. Before it was away form.

 

I don't think you can point at a single reason for not topping the league. Basically we're not winning games when we really have to, it's a combination of lack of quality and lack of grit.

 

We're certainly doing better this year than previous years, we just need a couple of better players on the wings.

[Earl Hafler]

We don't have their pace and guile in attack which unlocks defences

We don't put players in the box and in intelligent positions. Time and again against Fulham the Mancs worked the ball wide and had 4 or 5 players in different zones and usually someone on the other flank in case the ball was overhit.

 

We might have a couple of people, often too static or in the same position.

 

As long as our first choice right forward is Kuyt, we will struggle to break teams down at Anfield. As long as we play both Masch and Xabi at home and have them play exactly as they would away, we will struggle to break teams down at Anfield

[MFletcher]

United haven't conceded a league goal since early November.

 

That's f***ing staggering.

[Jim D]

Last year it was not beating the big teams. The year before it was not beating the small teams. Now it's home form. Before it was away form.

 

I think not beating the big teams was partially true however this season and last season stats show its draws we've had at Anfield has cost us the League. I think that is the true reason why we are falling short. I remember a few seasons ago when Arsenal finished 4th but had the best record in the "top 4" table.

[DJS]

This aint news to anyone. I've been banging on about us dropping stupid home points since the middle of last season. We did it then and we've done it again.

 

The solution is simple - Rafa either takes of the shackles - or never wins the PL.

[Jim D]

We don't have their pace and guile in attack which unlocks defences

We don't put players in the box and in intelligent positions. Time and again against Fulham the Mancs worked the ball wide and had 4 or 5 players in different zones and usually someone on the other flank in case the ball was overhit.

 

We might have a couple of people, often too static or in the same position.

 

As long as our first choice right forward is Kuyt, we will struggle to break teams down at Anfield. As long as we play both Masch and Xabi at home and have them play exactly as they would away, we will struggle to break teams down at Anfield

 

Agree, our system with Masch and Alonso in the centre works well when we go away from home, the stats show that because we are on par with the Champions in that regard. We certainly need to be more attacking minded at Anfield. Here is the list of teams we've drawn at home in the League recently..

 

This season

Everton

Hull City

West Ham

Fulham

Stoke City

 

Last season

Aston Villa

Wigan

Arsenal

Spurs

Birmingham City

Chelsea

 

Looking at those teams, title winning form, at home, we should be beating those who aren't considered in the "top 4". So this season we've already dropped 10pts at Anfield and last season with the exception of Arsenal and Chelsea we should be looking at maximum points there. So 8pts dropped at least.

Edited February 18, 2009 by Jim D

[Siang]

i think it will be a very close finish... or an extremely tight one come May...

 

there's going to be a blip for the Mancs despite their freakish and outstanding form currently...

 

we can only get better (i hope)

[Rimbeux]

United haven't conceded a league goal since early November.

 

That's f***ing staggering.

 

 

This is true, but in the same time frame we've drawn half our games which is pretty ordinary form

[Stevie H]

United haven't conceded a league goal since early November.

 

That's f***ing staggering.

i can't see them conceding many more goals at all this season which will probably mean that they don't lose any more matches. it sounds defeatist i know but their defensive record is f***ing depressing this season.

[John am Rhein]

i can't see them conceding many more goals at all this season which will probably mean that they don't lose any more matches. it sounds defeatist i know but their defensive record is f***ing depressing this season.

 

They'll certainly lose at least one

[Chili Palmer]

They have played no better than us this season, its a mental thing, teams come to Anfield hoping and playing for a draw, teams go to Old Trafford playing and hoping for a 1-0 or 2-0 defeat. we need to get that reputation.

[Walrus]

To quote a cliche, the league table doesn't lie. It's true that Man U have not been anything special this season, but the rest of the teams (us included) have been even less special than them.

[yellow jumper]

we need to go with them until the game at old trafford. that's the point at which we can change the sense of inevitability. arsenal seemed to fold catastrophically at this point last season (and in many ways they did), ultimately though their defeat at old trafford (a game they had chances to win) was the difference between third and them winning the title.

[fred milne]

As long as our first choice right forward is Kuyt, we will struggle to break teams down at Anfield. As long as we play both Masch and Xabi at home and have them play exactly as they would away, we will struggle to break teams down at Anfield

I'm hopeful that once the Alonso - Gerrard - Torres axis is back properly we will do better at breaking down teams at Anfield.

 

I do agree though that there is a case for resting Kuyt and Carra for these games and using Yossi and Agger instead.

[The Hitman]

Basically we're not winning games when we really have to, it's a combination of lack of quality and lack of grit.

It's not grit that's the problem,it's the lack of quality going forwards,and possibly with that the mentality to go out and destroy teams.

[psl]

We need to win three consecutive league games in order to keep up with the Mancs prior to Old Trafford and we haven't done that in a fair while.

[psl]

Paddy Power really are knobs aren't they?

 

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8...4942836,00.html

 

BOOKIE PAYS OUT ON UNITED TREBLE

 

Paddy Power is paying out on Manchester United as winners of the Premier League, FA Cup and Carling Cup - the first time any bookie has paid out early on a team winning more than one trophy in a season.

 

With United's goal impregnable in their last 14 league games and Arsene Wenger's admission that the champions are 'untouchable' Paddy Power is not only declaring the title race over but all domestic trophies for this season.

 

The bookie will pay out on all bets on United winning the three domestic trophies as well as any bets on the domestic doubles and the treble.

 

United are already just 1/6 to retain their title, 2/5 for the Carling Cup and 7/4 for the FA Cup, with Paddy Power looking at an early payout of over £1 million.

 

Paddy Power, head of communications for the bookie, said: "We know and punters know the race for trophies is all but over for another year so why wait for the formalities?

 

"If none of the opposition are able to even score a goal against United what chance have they got of actually beating them to silverware? We just hope someone can do us a favour and stop them in Europe.

 

"However, paying out on all three is a gamble. Football has a way of biting teams on the backside when they least expect it so we could yet end up with egg on our faces and not for the first time.

 

"Paddy Power are famous for being the first to call title races over, even paying out on Chelsea after just seven games of the 2005/06 season. But we haven't always got it right, famously paying out on Arsenal in the 2002/2003 season only to have to pay out again when Manchester United pipped them to the title."

 

Paddy Power are also waiting on the outcome of this season's relegation fight having paid out on Stoke, currently 2/1 on for the drop, after their loss on the first day of the season.

[John am Rhein]

To quote a cliche, the league table doesn't lie.

 

but it's often the basis for false conclusions

 

It doesn't lie about what it says - Man U are top - and only that.

[Sion]

Paddy Power really are knobs aren't they?

 

They're a bunch of muppets.

They once refused to pay up based on the evidence that Bojan hadn't scored the first goal, but infact a fella named Krkic had.

[_00_deathscar]

Haha, that's brilliant.

 

I hope it comes back to smack them in the face.

[Walrus]

That's mental. Why the hell do the bookies do stuff like that? Is it meant to be some sort of marketing ploy?