We all go on about a bad season last year, but a trip to the San Siro and a trip to Wembley doesn’t happen every year.
Yep. It's slightly peculiar that most people would complain about a product that was style over substance. Yet there was a fair bit of substance last season, even if the style was a little lacking. And it was only because Puel had to operate without 3 of the keyest of key players from the previous season, and then found that his squad became weakened by injuries to a couple of remaining key players. It was a difficult adjustment, yet he made a bloody good attempt at it. But he got his walkies instructions. I still think it was harsh and I doubt if many other managers could have done as well, let alone better, given the circumstances. But it appears we'd rather have our style over substance. If it meant we won something significant, give me matches where we win ugly instead of losing in style. Style can always come later when there's some silverware in the trophy cabinet.
OK, you're going to make me read up the thread, because this is an old chat. Hang on... [Pause] OK, having read it. We appear to be agreeing, yet not acknowledging it. Yes, we may be waiting a long while for a style if we want some real substance, because this goal scoring malarkey is clearly beyond our ability to do on a regular basis, at present. Two goals today does not represent the wind of change. Do it for another dozen matches or so and I'll believe that the goal scoring crisis is over, for the moment. And don't try to pass the ball into the net, a la Arsenal. Just score.
Arguably today we had a 100% conversion rate. 2 chances, 2 goals. I’m actually more worried that we aren’t really creating anything right now.
Despite certain posters trying their best to shout me down, I did try hard to make the point after the opening game against Swansea that creating chances for fun, but not scoring is how last season started too. And that as that season went, rather than those chances going in, they instead just stopped being created. To me that is a much more natural and logical outcome than the goals suddenly flowing (on a consistent basis). "The law of averages" as some (naively in my view) tried to claim. It happened last season, it's happening again this season. We cheered sarcastically when Cedric had that first shot on target for us against Watford, deep into injury time.
Whereas, in previous matches, if you look at the stats, we create loads of chances and half-chances which we are **** at converting into goals. The cause of that maybe because we actually played with two strikers today. So we create less, but convert more. As I said, give it a dozen or so matches or proper scoring and then I might think we don't need another Lambert or Pelle. Which we still do. And, as much as I like him, Austin isn't it.
