When Sagbo moves out wide, you want another player in the middle who can head a ball. Neither Boyd or Aluko can do that. Gedo or Fryatt would be the best option I reckon, and they can't be any less effective than Koren recently.
I fear ROKO is past his best, his age isn't a concern, him being chumpionship quality is.. maybe we can offload him to Lessta in January
One cross went in at the weekend and it was Koren on his own in the box, with Skrtel and Toure each side of him. I know they weren't having a good game at the back, but you really have to question why we're putting the ball in that soon instead of holding it a few seconds to let midfielders get forward.
ANY proven goalscorer from the PL at the moment will cost us an arm and a leg. is our senile owner willing to put anymore cash in?
Sagbo was extremely effective working the channels against Liverpool. If he'd stayed central the score likely wouldn't have been as good. What we lack at times is someone getting into the box when he does that, and it's a responsibility for our midfielders - particularly for whoever plays 'in the hole'. If Sagbo stays central in a move the chap behind him needs to pull defenders out of the way. If Sagbo is doing the movement out wide, the chap behind needs to get into the space created in the middle. Too often our forward moves into the channel and the bloke behind (be it Koren, Boyd or whoever) will also move out wide or simply stay too deep, leaving no one in the box. It's why I quite like Meyler behind Sagbo as he's a player willing to do both jobs. He certainly has a tidy finish on him at close range, has the energy to keep attacking those gaps and isn't useless in the air either. Koren I don't think has the energy for that - he stays too deep to link play up but then doesn't burst into the box when Sagbo pulls wide. I'd say leave Sagbo as the front man, have him continue working the channels but make sure whoever plays in the hole behind is focused on attacking the box when he does. There's a good chance Sagbo will pull a central defender out wide with that lateral movement and leave a nice gap.