That clip showed exactly everything thats been wrong this season. A creative midfield player running towards the goal looking for the killer pass into the box to find nobody there and then left to take a random pot shot from range at a set and ready goalkeeper. We've been making opposition goalkeepers look good by giving them chances to save the spectacular shot rather than get in close and give them no chance. We need a poacher/ a box player like Fowler or at the very least a striker who isnt afraid to run at the goalkeeper. Its almost as if Carroll thinks he's a Silva or Mata type player, waiting outside the box for his left foot thunderbolt. He needs to change or he's worthless
Exactly - and to be fair to Andy, it's not just him. The supporting players aer just reluctant to get into the box!! And good point about making the keepers look good - we have the worst conversion rate in the league but I wonder how many of those shots are actual clear cut chances and not just long range efforts.
To hide? Players suffering from a lack of confidence tend to not want the ball and their movement is usaully a telling sign.
We've been saying for years we don't get enough men in the box- it's been like this under several managers so I'm at a loss to explain it. It's hugely frustrating. After Kenny took over last season we had a great spell where Suarez, Kuyt and Maxi were working their way into the box with a short pass and move game and Meireles would come bombing in after them. It was great to watch and effective. I thought then that we were on the way up, but we just don't seem to be able to recapture that. I've nothing against Andy and really want him to do well, but I'm afraid that trying to accommodate him in the team is creating a style of play that just doesn't suit us.
maxi has no legs but he knows where to be doesn't he. same for kuyt. It's jsut a pity having them in the side to get the ball from back 4 to final third is next to impossible. miereles to a lesser extent. he was decent but lightweight and whats going on at chelsea proves that... far better than what we've got.
I agree with what you say about Maxi, but I liked the way we played then and would rather we'd gone for players who could integrate into that system. Meireles was good at the role I was describing, but tackled like a girl- as Stevie pointed out to him (to his cost).
Yeah, it's just a shame that we couldn't continue with the style of play that saw us pick up a lot of points and goals at the end of last season. I think by introducing a natural winger in Downing and a target man in Carroll, we seem to be using the more direct, cross it into the box method at the expense of good intelligent build up play. We have to remember that not only do we have a new manager and new signings, but the existing players have to try and learn a new style as well.
Our form in the 2nd (Dalglish) half of last season was outstanding. And we scored goals. But managers figured out what we were up to with our slick and beautiful pass and move football. The buses arrived back at Anfield, making it tougher for us to find the space. That's when you need a Plan B and Carroll wasn't fit for it. Now he's fit and I heard that Kenny had spoken to him about why he thought he was struggling. Some adjustments were made and Carroll improved, making MotM at times and contributing to better win stats, whether he scored or not, That's a loose correlation but an interesting one because it goes over a high number of games with Carroll in or out of the side. We had a Plan B and it brought results. Kenny also went the AVB route of making wholesale changes for the future and easing out the players who were aging, e.g Maxi, Kuyt, last season's top scorer, and Carra, who had no choice but to sit quietly when it's Kenny and not Rafa benching him. It may have been better for AVB to have relied on the senior players this season but he'd have been postponing the inevitable. Nopw they'll have to do it next season in a bigger burst of renewal with the younger players still needing experience. New players and youngsters have to be eased in; managers have long said it takes a season for overseas players to settle. It took Ronaldo three. Our average age is down and we have more potential for development as this squad matures. Now we just need fans to get off players' backs and give them time to gel and develop. I remember last season fans were calling for us to replace Ngog with Shane Long. Long had the same goal stats when he was 22 as Ngog had at 22. The difference is Ngog got his in the PL, Long in the Championship. So basically they wanted to spend money on a 24-yr old who wasn't as good as the 22-yr old at the same age. We shouldn't be surprised at this logc: some fans used to compare Lucas at 22 to Alonso at 28.
