That was as bad as the keeper that let Rooney's speculative lob in last weekend. The keeper was running away form his goal towards the corner flag
Don't particularly rate either of the Alonso ones tbh. Against Luton it was into an open goal, which any decent CM should be able to hit from 50-60 yards, and against Newcastle it was entirely down to **** keeping. It wasn't like Alonso's shot was high enough or hard enough to force the keeper to scramble backwards like Suarez, Rooney or Beckham's - if Harper had stood stock still he could probably have saved it. I agree with Sisu that the keeper has to make a mistake for any of those goals to go in, but Harper had to make an absolute grade A clanger of Taibi proportions. The Rooney one was good, but not as good as Beckham's or Suarez' imo. Everyone talks about it being a volley, but I've always found it easier to hit a ball like that on the volley, particularly when you've had time to watch it bounce and set yourself. When it's in the air like that all you need to do is get the power right, whereas when it's on the ground you have to get the right amount of lift too. Figueroa's beats both tho' imo as he had to take it first time, whereas both Beckham and Suarez had time to take a touch and strike the moving ball. For me: 1. Figueroa 2. Beckham 3. Suarez (similar to Becks but 10 yards closer) 4. Rooney 5. Alonso Also I'd throw Zlatan's into the mix as being up there with Figueroa's. Facing away from goal and he actually had to hit a proper first time volley, tho' obviously aided by Hart with another Taibi esque effort in goal.
Rooney's shouldn't be even on the list. Alonso beat the keeper with a shot under the bar, Suarez has 2 of those btw, both better than Rooney's and one as easily as good as beckham's goal. I bet you the best of them all was probably scored in Sunday league football But Rooney's. Just look at the ****ing keeper will you Where is he going, had he known where his goal was he could have caught Rooney's lob. please log in to view this image
Shot under the bar? WTF are you talking about? I suggest you watch Alonso's goal again, particularly the part where it bounces exactly on the goal line, about a foot further up the pitch than Rooney's. Then watch Harper crab walk across his six yard box before collapsing on the floor a good couple of seconds before the ball gets anywhere near him. Or are you talking about the Luton one which bounced outside the penalty area and dribbled across the line? Once again, tinted goggles thine owner is Sisu
Personally I think the technical level of the strike is the most important part of a goal like that, not where the keeper is. Fantastic strike from Rooney but nothing beats Zlatans.
I think it's a combination of the two - you have to strike the ball well, but the more the keeper ****s up the easier it is to get away with a less technically spectacular strike. Tho like I said above I don't think Rooney's is all that technically difficult to pull off. When we're training in Sunday league we regularly set shots up like Rooney's - one player throws the ball over the other's head and they strike it on the volley as it falls, and it's not that hard to get a clean contact. Still difficult to get the level of control he did at that range, but personally I'd find it easier to hit the target with a ball dropping like it was for Rooney, than to lob the keeper with a ball on the floor like Figueroa, Beckham or Suarez. Of course if I tried what Zlatan did I'd probably kick myself in the face and hit the corner flag. At the other end of the field...
Your not a professional, so you wouldn't have the shot power to get it there if you hit it off the floor, so that's probably the reason you think it would be easier if bouncing. But to a professional it would be a lot easier off the floor, as it's a lot easier to get the accuracy off the floor, and they easily have the shot power to get it there
Quite possibly, although I play full back and can usually swing in a cross from the touchline to the back post when it's on the floor, so I would have the power to do a forty yarder like Suarez did, if I could manage the accuracy. Maybe not a 50+ yarder like Becks tho' To my mind it's more a question of the physics of it. A ball in the air dropping towards the foot is in a more natural position to hit up in a nice simple arc - all you really need to worry about is power and timing. Whereas a ball on the floor needs you to get under it just the right amount - too much and you'll get backlift, account for any bobbles in the pitch, get the angle and spin all right, and still hit it with just the right amount of power. That's why I reckon Beckham's is one of the most aesthetically appealing lobs I've ever seen - 55 yards out and he hits it perfectly to get it over the keeper and only an inch or two under the bar. So perfectly measured that even though Sullivan does just about everything right - keeps his balance, watches the ball, turns and runs back instead of backpedalling - he still can't get back fast enough to keep it out.
You could say that for every single one of them. However, when the ball is in the oppositions half, keepers tend to be on the edge of their area so they can sweep up any long balls.
The one against Luton was with his wrong foot and a good ten yards inside his own half. Vast majority of people would get it in with the correct foot from the halfway line despite there not being a keeper to beat
Like you Swarbs, I play FB more often than not and I've also been known to put a few decent balls in the mixer from the halfway line. But KS is right that a lot of Sunday League players would get it that far. The volley is easier for distance but harder for accuracy IMO. But, with most of these efforts, its a hit towards goal and hope. No one can put it in the top corner with accuracy from fifty yards so it comes down to luck. The players aim is to get it within the two posts and at the right height to stop the keeper from getting it. In Alonso's case vs Luton, he didn't need to worry about height as there was no keeper.
Alonso's pretty two footed tho' isn't he? I agree he wouldn't usually shoot with his left, but he's always seems comfortable enough pinging passes around with both. Like you say - the vast majority of players, particularly professional players, would hit an empty net from the halfway line, so you'd expect the top players to achieve the same even with their weaker foot, unless it's a winger like Robben who refuses to ever play on his weaker side.
He is two footed. Remember seeing him warming up at Anfield where soemone stood ont he other side of the pitch and he was passing it straight to their feet (every time) using his left But to do it from what, sixty yards during a game? Thats quality IMO. But I didn't put it at the top of the list either.
Not convinced the volley is harder for accuracy - if it had just fallen to him from a clearance then it would be, but the fact it bounced right in front of him made it easier to measure the distance and time the strike imo. Don't think it's hit and hope, any more than any shot is hit it and hope the keeper won't reach it. Like you say, there is a definite effort to put it close to the crossbar as possible, and the better the player achieves that the more likely it is to go in. That's pretty much my rationale for the order I've put them in: 1. Figuero - 60+ yards, bullet into the top corner (tho' this was probably the most hit and hope of all of them) 2. Beckham - 50+ yards, perfectly weighted and just inches under the bar 3. Suarez - 40 yards, again perfectly weighted and maybe a foot under the bar 4. Rooney - 45 yards, volleyed, but bounced before the line 5. Alonso - 60+ yards, but went through the keeper rather than over him, and bounced on the line I basically judge them on the ability of the player to place it where the keeper would find it hardest to reach, and obviously the distance.
